Vegetasei: the Lost Empire
by gingeralchemist1996
Summary: Videl Satan is a young linguist in 1914 who is constantly ridiculed due to her gender and grandiose ideas of myth and legend. But when she's given the chance to join an expedition to find the lost empire of Vegetasei, she may find more adventure than she's prepared for. Based on Disney's Atlantis: the Lost Empire, fic adopted from X-Chick303. LAST UPDATED May 2017, ignore fic date.
1. Prologue: Destruction of Vegetasei

**Alright, before someone calls me out on plagiarism- VERY BLATANT PLAGIARISM- let me just explain:**

 **This fanfic originally belonged to my sister, X-Chick303. She started the story with great enthusiasm, but said enthusiasm eventually withered and died. She didn't want to continue writing it, but I thought it still had great potential that could be expanded on. She had planned out a lot of stuff beforehand, so she allowed me to adopt the story.**

 **Good thing I did- girl was gonna delete it, the doof.**

 **I don't normally write fanfiction, but I'm hoping to do the story justice- as well as get help from X-Chick from time to time :3**

 _ **The first three chapters are all HER writing, but after that, it's up to me. Try to be patient with me- chapters will probably be far apart in time.**_

 **Anyway, on with the story!**

 ** _P.S. The "Saiyago" in this story is actually Greek. I tried using Japanese, but it didn't look good. I also don't speak Greek. I used google translate, so sorry if translations aren't exact._ **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Atlantis: The Lost Empire. They belong to Akira Toriyama and Disney respectively.**

* * *

 **Prologue: The Destruction of Vegetasei**

* * *

 _ **Thousands of Years Ago...**_

They hadn't seen it coming.

It had merely been the beginning of a beautiful summer day, with clear skies and fair weather. They had no idea it was coming until messages started arriving from the perimeter scouts- there had been some kind of explosion and now a tidal waves were approaching on all sides. They were surging at an alarming rate, and it was not long after that that the sky darkened, thunder and lightning cracking against the black clouds in violent fury.

The soldiers from the perimeter were trying to reach the city on their flying vehicles, trying to outrun the enormous waves while avoiding the lightning.

"Grí̱gora, sas anói̱toi! To kýma kerdízei páno̱ mas!" one soldier hollered. **[Hurry, you fools! The wave is gaining on us!]**

"Prépei na ftásoume sto Vegetasei kai na proeidopoií̱sei to vasiliá!" his comrade hollered back. **[We need to get to Vegetasei and warn the king!]**

Their escape attempt was in vain. The wave caught up and swallowed them within its waters. In hindsight, it may have been a mercy. Considering what was going to happen next, they would be spared years of pain and suffering.

* * *

It wasn't long before the waves were within the sights of the island. And as any normal populace would react in the face of their imminent doom, the citizens of Vegetasei began to panic. They charged through the streets, screaming and running over and into each other. The stormy weather only increased the hysteria, not to mention the dancing beams of red light emerging from the giant crystal floating above the city. A voice over a sound system was telling everyone to keep calm and make their way to the special shelters, but no one was really listening.

In Vegetasei's royal palace, one guard ran into the front courtyard. He knew the royal family spent their mornings there so that the prince could study while eating breakfast with his parents.

"O Vasiliás Goku! _"_ he shouted frantically. **[King Goku!]**

"Toma!" the king answered. By the way he was running over to the guard, he was well aware of the situation. Following quickly behind him were the queen (her stomach round with her unborn child), the young prince, and the king's older brother. They all had expressions of varying degrees of worry on their faces.

"Megaleío sas, prépei na sas kai ti̱n oikogéneiá sas gia na párete ta katafýgia! Den ypárchei polýs chrónos!" Toma said as calmly as he could. **[Your majesty, we must get you and your family to the shelters! There isn't much time!]**

The king, Goku, looked up into the sky. From where he was standing, he could see the red beams of light the Heart was sending down. The crisis was dire indeed if the Heart was already searching...

He grimaced. _Af̱tó eínai dikó mou láthos. Den prépei poté na échoun akoúsei Vegeta_... **[This is my fault. I should have never listened to Vegeta.]**

"Patéra?" **[Father?]**

Goku was forced out of his thoughts by the voice of his ten-year-old son. He looked down at the boy, who was clutching his scrolls like a different child would their favorite toy for comfort.

The king reached down and ruffled his hair. "Tha eínai entáxei, Gohan." He turned back to Toma. "Páme!" **[It'll be alright, Gohan. Let's go!]**

Toma led the royal family out of the garden and into the streets, where they were joined by a few other soldiers. They did their best to push through the sea of people stampeding through the city, but their progress was heavily impeded on. It was so chaotic that it was not noticed when someone knocked into Gohan and made him drop his scrolls. He immediately stopped running and dropped to his knees, scrambling to pick up the scrolls. His mother would kill him if he lost them.

It wasn't until they'd nearly reached a shelter's entrance that the royal family realized their group had shrunk by one person.

"Gohan!" the queen shrieked, clutching her pregnant belly. "Egó̱ den ton vlépo̱!" **[I don't see him!]**

Goku stopped and peered desperately through the crowd. Where was he, where was he...?!

There! He was still in the street... and the waves were nearly on the city. Not to mention the red lights were getting closer to them. Eyes set determinedly, Goku picked his wife up bridal style and deposited her into his brother's arms.

"Raditz, frontízoun Chichi! Tha páro̱ Gohan!" Goku commanded. **[Raditz, look after Chichi! I'll get Gohan!]**

Raditz nodded and turned to bring Chichi into the shelter.

"Grí̱gora, Goku!" Chichi called after him as he ran into the writhing crowd. **[Hurry, Goku!]**

Goku plowed through the mass of people, and before long he was next to his son. The boy was still trying to collect the scrolls.

The king grabbed his wrist. "Afí̱ste tous, Gohan! Den eínai si̱mantikó!" **[Leave them, Gohan! They're not important!]**

Goku proceeded to drag Gohan towards the shelters, but the young boy struggled. Besides being an aid in his learning, those scrolls had been gifts from his parents for his last birthday and he didn't want to part with them.

The red lights were now closing in, and the king made his decision.

Lifting Gohan by his wrist, Goku roughly tossed him towards the shelter. The boy skidded a bit before coming to a stop, laying on his tailbone.

"Patéra!" Gohan yelled, being a mix of indignant and fearful.

Goku flashed his son one last smile, then looked up to glare at the Heart. "Thélete éna mélos ti̱s vasilikí̱s oikogéneias, eseís i̱líthioi rok? Eláte na párete mou!" **[You want a member of the royal family, you stupid rock? Come get me!]**

As if listening, one red beam fell upon Goku like a spotlight. The red faded into soft gold, and Goku's crystal amulet rose up as the king's dark eyes glowed bluish-green. His expression was no longer angry- just blank.

"Patéra?" Gohan whispered worriedly. He scrambled to his feet and ran towards his father.

The now golden beams all focused on Goku, merging into a single pillar of light. His amulet flashed, and it was as if gravity around him had been switched off, what with the way his hair and robes began to sway and flow. He slowly began rising off of the ground.

"Patéra!" Gohan cried out, pulling on his father's hand.

Gohan's tugging did nothing as Goku continued to rise. In the struggle, his fingers caught a bangle Gohan was wearing and pulled it off the child's wrist. In a matter of seconds, Goku was out of his son's reach and he was absorbed into the Heart.

As the pillar of light disappeared, Gohan raised his arms to the Heart above, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Patéra! Patéra, éla píso̱!" **[Father! Father, come back!]**

Once Goku was gone, a dome composed of golden energy began to surround the main city. Anyone caught outside of the border was cut off, and at the worst possible moment. The tidal waves had arrived and were descending upon Vegetasei. Screams rang clearly as lives were claimed by the sea.

In the midst of all this, someone came up behind Gohan and wrapped their arms around him, pushing his face into their robed chest.

"Mi̱n koitás, Gohan! Kleíse ta mátia sou!" a gruff voice ordered. **[Don't look, Gohan! Close your eyes!]**

The Heart glowed bright as the stone monuments around spun rapidly, and the dome finally came to a close. The ocean crashed down in its entirety, and the dome sunk into the sea floor. Lightning struck the sea, as if the heavens were trying to get in one last shot at the once magnificent civilization. Then, as quickly as it had occurred, it was over. There was nothing there except flat ocean. The sky even cleared up, as if nothing had occurred at all.

The empire of Vegetasei had vanished, never to be seen again.

* * *

 **What suspense, eh?**


	2. The Proposal

**Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Atlantis: the Lost Empire. They belong to their respecting owners.**

ORIGINAL X-CHICK NOTES: **As** _ **you've seen in the description, this is also a romance fic. I have never really written romance before, but I'm excited to. And unlike Milo and Kida, Videl and Gohan will get a lot more development.**_

 _ **Meaning there will be kissing. At some point. Just so you have something to look forward to.**_

 ** _I am also fudging the ages a bit, since it simply works better with the story. Like, Videl is in her mid-twenties here. Gohan will obviously be 8000 years old, but appears the same age as Videl._ **

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Proposal**

* * *

 _ **Several thousand years later, in Orange Star City, the early 1900s...**_

Videl took a deep breath and stepped up to the podium. She could do this, just as she practiced.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen of the board," she said in an even tone. "As you all know, I'm Videl Satan. And once again, I thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come here and listen to my proposal. Now, you've all heard of the legendary empire of Vegetasei, which was said to have been situated on a small continent somewhere in the Mid-Atlantic. It was supposed to be a highly advanced civilization, possessing technology that far surpassed anything we have currently. But then one day, according to ancient philosophers, it was struck by a cataclysmic event which caused it to sink beneath the sea."

To emphasize her point, she gestured to a fishbowl sitting on a table to her left. She then picked up some large cards with pictures on them. "Now, some of you may ask the significance of this. After all, Vegetasei is just a myth- it doesn't exist. I, however, am forced to disagree. Tens of thousands of years before the pyramids were even constructed, the Vegetasaiyans- or just 'Saiyans' for short- had electricity, advanced medicine, and even the power of flight. It sounds impossible, but it wasn't for the Saiyans." She flipped through the cards, showing pictures of engravings and texts from around the world. "Many ancient cultures from all over the planet agreed that Vegetasei had in their grasp a type of power source that more powerful than steam, coal, or our modern internal combustion engines."

She placed the cards back on the podium face down- save for one she kept in her hand- and stepped in front of the podium. "Gentleman, I propose we find Vegetasei, find the power source, and bring it back to the surface." She held up the card. "This here is a page from an illuminated text that describes a book called the Shepherd's Journal, which is said to be a first-hand account of Vegetasei and its location."

She moved over to a large chalkboard with Norse writing on it. "According to a translated centuries-old Norse text, it was assumed that the journal was located in Ireland. However, after comparing this text with runes engraved on an ancient Viking shield- which I do not have on me because they wouldn't let me take it from the museum's basement- I found an incredibly misleading typo." She erased the 'r' in 'Ireland' and replaced it with a 'c'. "One of the characters was mistranslated. What was made an 'r' should have been a letter 'c'. This means that the key to finding Vegetasei lies in _Iceland_ , not Ireland."

Videl paused, purely for effect. She had to have _some_ fun with this.

"As you can see by the map, I have plotted out a route which should lead myself and a crew to the southern coast of Iceland to retrieve the journal," Videl went on, marking it on the chalkboard. She flicked the lights in the room back on. "Gentlemen, I will now take your questions."

Now that the lights were on, it was clear that she wasn't in a meeting room, but in the parlor of a house. Her audience was not a museum board, but rather a young man and woman. The man was asleep and drooling on the couch, but the young woman- dressed in a long green dress- clapped excitedly.

"Well, you sure convinced me, Del!" she said cheerfully. "If I had enough money to fund an entire archaeological expedition, I would give it to you in a heartbeat!"

Videl smiled. "Thanks, Erasa. It's nice to know I have _some_ fans."

Erasa gave her smile, then glared at the man next to her. She punched him in the arm. "Sharpener!"

"Ow!" Sharpener yelped, sitting up straight. "What was that for?!"

"We promised we'd help Videl practice her pitch! How could you fall asleep like that?!"

"I had a late night at the office, sorry!"

Erasa glared at him once more before turning back to Videl. "Anyway, I have to say, I was surprised to hear you be so polite, Videl! I thought you hated those stuffy board members."

"Oh I do," Videl said without shame. "I came to them for a linguist position at that museum three years ago and they made me a _tour guide_. But if I'm rude to them, I won't see so much as a single zeni. So I'll be polite, for now."

"Being polite might not be enough. You know how old-fashioned the board is- your gender works completely against you. I still remember that one time you walked into the museum wearing trousers," Sharpener pointed out. He snickered to himself. "Their faces though... you could have funded the expedition yourself if you had taken pictures and sold them."

"Hey, I got them to at least agree to this meeting. I think I'm capable of convincing them to give my proposal some thought," Videl said, cleaning up her presentation materials.

Sharpener shrugged, stood up, and exited the parlor. Now that he was no longer obligated to listen, he wasn't sticking around.

Erasa stuck her tongue out at his retreating back, then turned back to Videl, who was still cleaning up.

"Um, hey, Videl?" she spoke up softly.

"Yes, what is it?" Videl replied.

"If you do get your funding... and if you do or don't find Vegetasei... will you promise me that you'll settle down and try to _find_ someone?"

Videl stopped cleaning and groaned. "Erasa, not this again."

"Is it my fault that I want to see my best friend happy and taken care of?!"

"I don't need to be taken care of!"

"Yeah, and that's why you've been living in me and Sharpy's spare room for the last three years."

Videl scowled.

Erasa put on an apologetic face. "I'm sorry, but it's just that you're not getting any younger. You're already in your twenties! You know the older you are, the more difficult it is to land a good man!"

Videl sighed and squeezed the bridge of her nose. As much as she hated this conversation, she knew Erasa just wanted her to be happy. And it wasn't that she hadn't tried to find a boyfriend over the years... but age had nothing to do with it. All the men she met thought she was either crazy, abrasive, or mistook her for a man. (The fact she kept her hair cut to a boyish length didn't help on that last part.)

"Tell you what, Erasa. Let me find Vegetasei and get my name written in the history books as the first woman to discover a lost empire," Videl said. "After that, we'll talk men. Okay?"

"... Okay," Erasa conceded. She perked up. "This girl who works in the same shop as me has an older brother who's still single! Maybe you could-"

The grandfather clock in the hall suddenly chimed four times, thankfully interrupting Erasa.

"My meeting's in forty five minutes! I better go get ready!" Videl said hurriedly.

She ran out of the parlor before Erasa could continue her meddlesome chatter.

* * *

Videl finished running a brush through her short black locks and took a step back, examining herself in a mirror.

She was a short, tomboyish woman wearing a man's shirt, men's trousers, a man's vest, long socks, and flat shoes. Her hair was cut to above her ears, and her mouth was set in a permanent frown. Even her pretty blue eyes looked intimidating.

In other words, she had the appearance of seriousness and professionalism that she had been striving for. Who needed frilly dresses and big hats? Not her!

Videl set the brush down and picked up two picture frames sitting on her dresser, smiling sadly. The first one showed a burly man dressed like a boxer standing behind a scowling little girl in a frilly dress. This photograph was of her as a child with her father.

 _Dad..._ she thought wistfully.

Her father, Hercule Satan, had been a semi-successful prizefighter back when she was young. Her mother ran out on them when she was still a toddler, so he'd had no choice but to bring her to all his fights. She hadn't minded, of course; she loved watching her father, even if the fights got bloody. He even taught her how to fight so she could defend herself if the need came- he wanted nothing more than for his "precious baby girl" to be safe. That being said, he hadn't initially been supportive of her interest in becoming a linguist and cartographer, knowing she'd get a lot of flack from the male side of the community. But once he realized she would be too busy studying dead languages to go looking for a boyfriend, he'd been all for it.

Sadly, that desire for safety he'd projected didn't extend all the way to himself. When Videl was only eleven years old, Hercule had been so brutally beaten by one of his opponents that he had died from his injuries. To this very day she missed him and wished he could be with her now to see just how far she had come.

Videl set the picture of her father down and turned to the other one. This one had only been taken only 4 years ago. It showed her holding up a detailed map she'd drawn, while standing next to her was a stern-looking bald man. The man was smirking almost evilly at the camera, and the image still made Videl chuckle.

She loved her dad dearly, but there was one person she wished was back even more, because he would appreciate the achievement better: Professor Piccolo Katas.

After her father's death, she had been sent to live with Piccolo since she had no other relatives. The arrangement had been set up by her father's remorseful opponent- some guy named Buu or whatever- who didn't want to see her get sent to a dingy orphanage. Piccolo, while grouchy and cynical, had warmed up to her and taught her everything he knew about history, languages, cartography, and of course, the legendary civilization of Vegetasei. Piccolo was a firm believer in the legend and hoped to one day discover it. Unfortunately, this belief got him laughed at by the museum board despite all he had done for them. During the later years of his life he thrown himself into his work, his obsession and lack of concern for himself soon taking its toll. Three years ago he fell ill and perished, and that was when Videl moved in with Erasa and her husband. She had been devastated to lose the man she saw as a second father, but she forced herself to get over it after a few months.

He'd never found Vegetasei, and Videl wasn't about to let his dream die by staying in a depression.

Videl kissed her index and middle fingers, then pressed them to the picture of Piccolo. "I'm almost there, Mr. Piccolo. Just wait a little bit longer."

She glanced up at the clock in her room and saw she had thirty minutes until her meeting. Luckily, the museum was only a five minute walk from Erasa's townhouse- one minute if she ran.

Videl put the picture frame back on her dresser, dusted off her clothes, then placed her hands on her hips. "It's showtime!"

"Videl!" Erasa's voice came from downstairs. "There's a guy here with a telegram for you!"

Videl raised an eyebrow. She hadn't been expecting any messages, but nonetheless she gathered her materials and went downstairs. Standing by the front door was skinny teenager in a messenger uniform, the telegram in his hand.

"He said it's from the museum," Erasa explained.

Videl took the telegram and read it out loud. "'Dear Ms. Satan, we have sent this message to inform you that your meeting has been moved from 4:45 to 3:45.'"

Erasa and Videl's eyes widened, then they snapped hear heads towards the grandfather clock. It was 4:15.

"Oh!" the messenger boy gasped suddenly. He held up another paper. "They wanted me to give you this one too."

Videl snatched it out his hand and read it silently. Each word caused her temper to rise and her blood to boil.

 _Dear Ms. Satan,_

 _Since you failed to show up to your meeting, the museum board had decided to deny your proposal. Have a nice weekend._

 _Sincerely, Dr. Flappe_

Videl crushed the paper in her hand. "They can't _do_ this to me!"

Without another word she raced out the front door, leaving a flurry of papers in her wake. Erasa and the messenger boy were left blinking in confusion.

"So..." Erasa drawled. She smiled politely at the boy. "How much do I owe you?"

* * *

As previously stated, the commute to the museum only took a minute if you ran straight from Erasa's house.

Videl just happened to be an extremely fast runner.

Ignoring the fact strangers that were giving her dirty looks and she was dropping papers, Videl made it to the museum in no time at all. She ran up the stairs, through the entrance, and entered the wing where conference rooms were held. As she rounded a corner, she saw members of the board exiting one of said rooms. She could even hear their conversation.

"We really dodged a bullet with this one, men," Dr. Gero was chuckling.

"If I had hear that crazy woman say 'Vegetasei' one more time, I would have killed myself," Dr. Wheelo added with a grin.

"I probably would have joined you and poured the poison myself!" Commander Red, a military man turned museum board director, added. "That Satan girl is almost as bad as those suffragettes that chant on street corners. I mean, have you seen how she _dresses_?"

"Now, now, my friends. Let's not get carried away..." Dr. Flappe said, trying to calm their arrogance.

Videl never heard Flappe's comment. She was too riled up. Surging towards the snobby old men, she hollered, "WAIT JUST A MINUTE!"

The men jumped a foot in the air, then stared in horror at the raging linguist heading directly at them.

"SCATTER!" Red screamed.

Immediately the board members ran into the surrounding rooms and locked the doors behind them. In a matter of seconds, only Flappe remained. He did the only thing any man could do when faced with a crazed woman- make a break for it.

The old man used his umbrella to push Videl aside and ran past her. Videl wobbled a bit but soon enough she was on his heels. She chased him through the hall, into the museum's main room, and through the front entrance.

Flappe jumped into a waiting taxi, but before he could have the driver take him away, Videl stuck her head through the side window.

Videl pushed a map into his face. "Dr. Flappe, if you would just look at this-!"

Flappe pushed the map away and gave her a tired glare. "Ms. Satan, this museum funds scientific expeditions based on fact, not fiction! I'm sorry, but you'll just have to let this go! Besides, we need you here as a tour guide, what with the school year starting soon!"

"But Dr. Flappe-!" she tried to argue.

"Drive! I don't care where!" Flappe ordered the driver.

The driver took off, but Videl wasn't going to let this drop. She ran along side the cab, teeth grit in determination.

"Just listen! The journal is in Iceland! I wouldn't be wasting your time if I weren't positive!" she shrieked.

Flappe closed the shade on his window. Videl's yells faded away after this, so he assumed she had given up. He heaved a sigh of relief.

 _WHAM!_

Clearly he had underestimated the tenacity of a woman who'd spent most of her career being made fun of for her beliefs. Videl had jumped onto the front of the car and was pressing her face against the windshield.

"Oh, for the love of-!" Flappe shouted in exasperation.

Videl reached into her pocket and pressed a sheet of paper against the glass. "You've forced my hand! Dr. Flappe, this is a letter of resignation! If you don't listen to my proposal-!"

The driver turned on the windshield wipers, which knocked Videl off the car and into the street. The fall didn't appear to hurt her, because she sat right up and shook her letter at the back of the retreating vehicle.

"I'LL _QUIT_ , YOU POMPOUS OLD GEEZER!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

The car stopped, then went in reverse until it was next to the young woman.

Flappe stuck his head out of the window, rubbing his temples. "Look, Ms. Satan. I honestly had no idea that the board was going to pull that trick on you, and I apologize for that."

"I appreciate that, Dr. Flappe. But if you refuse to fund my proposal, I'll-" Videl continued to threaten.

"What? Flush your career down the toilet like Katas?" Flappe interrupted. "You are an intelligent young lady, Ms. Satan. I honestly believe you can get somewhere despite the challenges you'll face with your gender. Don't throw away you chances by chasing after an empire that never existed."

Videl frowned, shook her head, and gave Flappe a determined look. "I can't do that, sir. I could prove Vegetasei exists if you'd just let me!"

"You want to go on an expedition? Fine." Flappe reached into his pocket and removed a single zeni, flicking it at her. "Catch a trolley and jump into the Orange Star River. Maybe the cold water will clear those fool ideas from your head."

The car drove off after that, and as if to rub salt into the wound, it started to pour rain. Videl just sat there, feeling numb.

After a few minutes, she wiped the water from her face and stood up, muttering, "... I should've brought an umbrella."

* * *

Videl made the walk back to Erasa's house, no longer having the energy to run.

She wasn't sure how she was feeling. She was angry, sad, and frustrated all at the same time. She hated a lot of things, but above all else she hated liars and tricksters. How could those stuffy old farts dangle her hopes and aspirations in front of her like that, only to yank it out of her reach?

... When she got home, she was going to pin their pictures onto her punching bag and wail on it. That would be very therapeutic.

Videl pushed Erasa's front door open, shedding off her coat. "Erasa, I'm back! And don't ask how the meeting went!"

"You're back?" Erasa called back. "Good! You have a visitor here in the dining room!"

A visitor? That was odd. Besides Erasa, Sharpener, and Mr. Piccolo, Videl had no other friends or anyone who would want to visit her. Warily, she entered the dining room and saw Erasa pouring a complete stranger a cup of tea.

The stranger was a tall and handsome, with pale skin and long, dark hair that seemed to have green tint to it put into a braid. He also wore a fine suit and dangling earrings. When he saw Videl, he smiled with triumph.

"Ah, you must be Videl Satan," he said. "My name is Zarbon Verde, and I come with a proposal."

Videl grimaced. "Erasa, this better not be a cheap attempt at matchmaking."

Erasa blushed. Zarbon merely rolled his eyes.

"Not _that_ kind of proposal," Zarbon clarified. "I'm here on behalf of my employer, who has a very intriguing offer for you. Are you interested?"

"Employer? Who the hell is your employer?!" Videl demanded to know.

* * *

By just asking that question, Videl found herself in a fancy car in the middle of a thunderstorm, approaching a giant, looming mansion that was sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea.

"Why do I feel like I'm being kidnapped?" she mumbled.

"You shouldn't mumble," Zarbon said from the driver's seat. "It isn't polite, which you should be when in my employer's presence."

Videl scowled. What had being polite done for her lately?

The car drove through a large metal gate. At that moment, lightning flashed, illuminating a metal plate on the gate's adjoining stone wall. It had one word engraved on it

 _ **KATAS**_.

 _Katas?_ Videl thought, her heart skipping a beat. _That was Mr. Piccolo's surname. Do he and Zarbon's employer have some kind of connection?_

The car pulled up to the mansion's front door. Zarbon helped Videl out of the vehicle, then brought her to the door. He pulled a rope that was next to it, which Videl assumed was some kind of door bell.

The door opened, revealing a portly dark-skinned man wearing a turban. "You've returned, Zarbon." He glanced at Videl. "Is this Ms. Satan?"

"Indeed, Mr. Popo," Zarbon replied, leading Videl inside. "If you would, please bring her to Mr. Katas."

Videl gaped in wonder at the mansion's front hall. It was bigger than Erasa and Sharpener's townhouse! It was filled with suits of armor, paintings, mounted weapons, and even taxidermy animals. Above a roaring fireplace was a large painting of a serious old man wearing a uniform. The man in the painting was quite old, but to Videl's surprise he looked just like Piccolo.

"Welcome to Lookout Mansion, Ms. Satan," Popo spoke up. "Please follow me. Kami is waiting for you."

"Kami?" Videl echoed.

"My employer," Zarbon supplied, walking away and leaving Videl and Popo alone.

Videl, at a loss as to what else to do, followed Popo down the hall and into a cage-like elevator. Popo pulled a lever, and the elevator screeched down a large shaft. About thirty seconds later, it came to a stop and the doors opened.

"You'll find Kami down this hall," Popo said as Videl stepped out of the elevator. "I'll be back down in a few minutes with some refreshments. Good luck."

Videl nodded, then performed a double take. "What do you _mean_ , 'good luck'?!"

By the time she said that, Popo and the elevator were already gone. Taking a deep breath, Videl strode down the hall and entered a large room. Like the upstairs, it was filled with trophies and artifacts, as well as a large fish tank containing creatures Videl swore she'd only seen as ancient fossils. The room also had a fireplace, and Videl found herself drawn to it. Above this one was a giant painting of the old man (Kami, she supposed) and...

"... Mr. Piccolo?" she said with incredulous awe.

"My baby brother."

Videl startled, turned around, and took a fighting stance on reflex. Instead of an enemy, she saw the old man in the portrait. He was bald and very wrinkled, wearing a white suit. He was sitting in an overstuffed armchair, flipping through a book with seven orange balls on the cover.

"Finest explorer I've ever known, and I'm not just saying that because we're related," he went on, snapping the book shut. He stood up with the aid of a cane and held out his free hand to Videl. "Kami Katas. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Videl."

Videl cautiously shook his hand. "I'd say likewise... but up until this point I had no idea you existed. Mr. Piccolo never told me he had an older brother."

"We were... estranged for a number of years. Also, Piccolo never spoke of anything about his past to anyone unless someone else brought it up first."

"So it's a matter of 'he didn't tell me because I never asked.'" Yeah, that sounded like Piccolo. He'd only ever told Videl about his attempts at locating Vegetasei because she'd found his research one day in his library and asked about it. Then again, the fact he had a brother did explain how Piccolo's funeral got miraculously paid for.

Kami chuckled. "Precisely. We weren't particularly close for most of our lives, but he did drag me on a number of his expeditions. He was as crazy as they came... he did speak of you often once I asked how his home life was."

"Still can't believe he didn't tell me he had a brother," Videl grumped. "He knew how much I hated secrets."

"Like I said, we were estranged. Additionally, he knew I liked my privacy, so he never would have mentioned me even if someone asked. I try to keep a low profile."

Videl sighed. She decided it was time to get to the elephant in the room. "... Mr. Katas-"

"Please, call me Kami."

"Fine. Kami, do you mind telling me why you had Zarbon kidnap- I mean, _collect_ me?"

Kami gestured behind her. "Have a look at what's on that table."

Videl turned and walked slowly up to the table. On it was a small statue of a dragon in a glass case, and next to the statue was a wrapped package. She picked up the package and looked at the tag.

Her eyes widened. "This... this is from Mr. Piccolo!"

"He gave that to me years ago," Kami said, walking up next to her. He grabbed a glass off a shelf and poured himself a brandy. "He told me that if anything were to happen to him, I should give it to you when you were ready. What he meant by that is beyond me."

Videl swallowed the lump in her throat and unwrapped the package. It was a brown book lined with metal and had a lock. On the cover was a golden emblem that looked like a stylized letter 'v'. She nearly dropped it when she realized what it was.

"The Shepherd's Journal?!" she gasped. She paused. "Wait- Mr. Piccolo had this the _entire time_ and didn't tell me? That jerk!" She shook her head and turned to Kami. "I'll be pissed later. Kami, this book is the key to finding the lost civilization of Vegetasei!"

Kami sipped his brandy then laughed, walking away from her. "Vegetasei? Ha! Don't think that I'm so senile that you can pull _that_ one over on me, young lady."

Videl followed after him. She flipped open the book and held it up to him. "No, just look! Coordinates, hints- everything we need is right in front of us!"

Kami glanced at the yellowed pages and shrugged. "Looks like chicken scratch to me."

Videl scowled. "It's written in a dead language! The dialect that was used for this died out centuries ago, but I've spent most of my life studying dead languages. It won't be easy, but I can translate this and use it!"

Kami shrugged again and walked over to a long metal table next to the fish tank, taking a seat. "It's probably a fake."

Videl's jaw tightened in fury. She was sick and tired of people telling her she was wrong, that Piccolo was wrong. She stormed up to the old man and shook the book in his face. "I would know if this were a fake, and so would have Mr. Piccolo! I am willing to bet all that I own and cherish that this is the genuine article, and nothing you say will change my mind!"

Kami held up his hands placatingly. "Alright, alright, no need to snap." He motioned for her to take a seat. "If you're so sure it's the real book, what are you going to do now that you have it?"

Videl took her seat, not letting on that Kami had thrown her for a loop. In all honesty, she hadn't planned things out this far. "I guess I'll go to the museum and get funding, for starters."

"They'll never believe you, and after your display this afternoon, they're more likely to take restraining orders out on you than give you zeni," Kami pointed out.

"I'll _make_ them believe!" she stressed. "I'll show them the Journal and they'll- how do you know about this afternoon?"

"I have my sources. My point still stands though. The museum board will never listen to what you have to say. After all, you're not just going on about legendary city, but you're also just a woman. What reason do they have to believe you?"

" _I DON'T CARE!_ " Videl screamed in frustration, standing up and slamming her hands down on the table. "I may not have enough proof and I may just be a woman, but I don't need those old bastards! I'll find Vegetasei, even if I have to build a raft and paddle there myself!"

Kami raised an eyebrow, then grinned wickedly. "Those, my dear, were the exact words I wanted to hear from you. But don't blow your savings on raft materials just yet..."

He pressed a button on the table, and from it arose several plastic and metal models. There was a large submarine, trucks, a drill, sub pods, and even a hydrogen balloon. Videl gaped when she saw it.

"... if we're going anywhere, we're getting there in style," Kami finished with satisfaction. "It's all been arranged, right down to the very last detail. You were right- you don't need those old bastards."

Videl reached out and gently ran her fingers over the model submarine. "... Why? Why would do all this?"

Kami stood up and led Videl over to his tall bookshelves. "Piccolo never shut up about that journal. He would go on about it for hours on end. One day, after years and years of being forced to listen to him, I got fed up and made a bet with the brat. I told him that if he ever _did_ manage to get his mitts on the book, not only would I cover the finances for the whole expedition myself, I would kiss him full on the mouth!"

He removed a picture frame from the shelf and handed it to Videl, blushing slightly. "Imagine my embarrassment when he actually found the blasted thing."

The picture showed Kami and Piccolo together. Kami was hunched over, cradling his jaw in agony, while Piccolo (who was holding the journal) was turned away, spitting. Videl wasn't sure to find it funny or disgusting, so she went with the former and giggled.

"Yes, go ahead and laugh. You weren't the one who kissed him and got socked in the jaw for it," Kami said dryly, taking the picture from her and putting it back on the shelf. He stepped away from her and stood in front of the fireplace. "Now, I know Piccolo is gone, Videl, but Kami Katas is a man of his word."

To Videl's surprise, he began waving his cane at the portrait of him and his brother, shouting, "You hear that, Piccolo?! You can't hold this one over me! I'm going to the Other World without a single regret, you understand?!"

Videl smiled at the display, and Kami himself laughed a bit. Once he stopped, his body sagged as if he were carrying an unbearable weight on his shoulders.

"Well, that's not entirely true," Kami said in a tired voice. "There's a major age gap between my brother and I, Videl. It caused so much tension and we spent years angry at each other. Our relationship got better towards the end, especially after he found the journal. But my greatest regret is that he died before we could ever officially bury the hatchet." He turned to face Videl. "Piccolo deserved so much more than a bitter brother... so much more than a lifetime of ridicule."

He walked up to Videl, a solemn expression on his face. "Your mentor was a great man, Videl, more than you'll ever know. Those _fools_ from the museum laughed at him and made a mockery of his ideals. That's why he got sick- he stopped taking care of himself and let what was said get to him. He died a broken man, but I suspect he never had the heart to let you catch completely on to that." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "If I could find just _one_ shard of evidence, anything that could prove my brother wasn't a raving _lunatic_... that would be enough for me. I could leave this life satisfied with the way it turned out."

Videl blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears from falling. Kami wanted the exact same thing she did, and that made a world of difference. Sure, it was nice to have Erasa and Sharpener and her father's support, but her father knew nothing of Vegetasei and her other friends didn't really believe in it themselves. It was nice to finally have someone completely on her and Piccolo's side.

Kami perked up and strode past Videl, hooking his cane around her wrist and dragging her back to the models. "What are we waiting for? We have work to do, my dear!"

Videl stumbled after him. She got his enthusiasm, but they had to be realistic here. "Kami, hold on a minute! If we're going to pull off what you have planned, we're going to need a crew!"

"Taken care of," Kami said, releasing her and holding up a stack of files.

"Listen!" she snapped. "We need engineers and geologists and-"

"I got them all. Give this old man some credit."

He spread the files over the table for Videl to peruse. From what she could see, there was a rugged man with scars on his face, a smiling dark haired woman, a man with no nose, and several others.

"Yamcha Wolf- demolitions expert. He has experience from blowing up bank safes and train tracks in the midwest. I found him hiding out in the desert trying to escape law enforcement," Kami said, pointing to the first picture. He pointed to the woman. "Launch l'Arme- geology and excavation. I had to break _her_ out of a French prison to get her on board." Next, he pointed to the noseless man. "Krillin Castana- I never had to break him out of jail, thankfully. Don't let his odd appearance get to you, because he knows more about engineering than you and I ever will."

Videl gave Kami a strange look at a couple of those descriptions. Was this crew made up of nothing but criminals? And why was he stopping there? There were more files on the table than just those three.

"They're the best there are at what they do," Kami assured her. He smiled. "They were also part of the same crew that brought the journal back."

That got Videl's interest. "Seriously? Where was it?"

Kami placed a photograph on top of the files. It showed all the people in those files, including Piccolo, who was hold up the journal proudly. "Iceland."

Videl pumped her fist. "I knew it! Shows those old geezers from the museum right!"

Kami poked her shoulder to get her attention. "We almost have a full team. The only position that needs filling is someone who is an expert in chicken scratch."

Videl stopped celebrating as the situation fully sunk in. Kami was seriously give her this chance...?

"So, what will it be, Ms. Satan?" Kami said, sitting back down. "You can continue on the path that Piccolo left behind, or you can go back to leading tourists around a drafty museum. It's all up to you."

Videl picked up the picture of the crew in Iceland, staring at it intensely. She slumped back into her chair. "This is happening way too fast. Just this morning I was trying to prove the _journal_ existed and now... wow."

"Good, you understand then," Kami said. He looked to the side. "And look, Mr. Popo has arrived with refreshments."

Popo entered the room, carrying a tray to the table. He began setting out tea cups and small pastries. Videl absently grabbed one and took a bite, her mind a tangled mess.

Videl swallowed and ran her hand through her hair. "Okay, okay. I-I'll have to quit my job at the museum."

"It's done. You quit this afternoon, remember?" Kami said as Popo poured him some tea.

Oh yeah, she did. Videl exhaled heavily, then jumped to her feet as if electrocuted. "Erasa and Sharpener! I'll have to tell them I'm leaving!"

"No need, Zarbon informed them while we were talking."

"My clothes?"

"Packed."

"My books?"

"In storage."

"The payments to have my father and Mr. Piccolo's graves taken care of in my absence?!"

"I had my brother covered, but I'm more than happy to look after your father as well," Kami said, sipping his tea. "I used to be quite a fan of boxing. Hercule had some decent matches."

Videl sat back down limply. "Wow... just, wow."

Kami chuckled, stood up, and moved next to Videl. He held out the journal to her. "I believe that our lives are remembered through what we leave with our children. Piccolo left this with you, Videl."

Videl took the journal and hugged it to her chest.

Kami held out his hand. "Vegetasei is waiting. What is your decision?"

Videl bit her lip, then grinned. She stood and furiously shook Kami's hand. "I'd have to be more of an fool that those dolts in the museum board to say no! I'm your woman, Kami! I promise, you won't regret giving me the job!"

"I never thought you would disappoint me, Videl. Piccolo didn't put his trust in just anyone."

Videl smiled widely, taking her coat out of Popo's hands and draping it over shoulders.

 _This is actually happening!_ she thought. _I'm really going to find Vegetasei! I'll do the one thing no chauvinistic moron has ever done before! This is going to make me and Mr. Piccolo heroes, and I'm going to rub it in the museum's collective smug face! Ha!_

Videl, in her excitement, never once considered that this wasn't going to be so simple. Then again, she was so thrilled she didn't care.

After all, what was the worst that could happen?

* * *

Zarbon waited until Popo had gone back down to Kami's study before hurrying over to the main hall's phone and dialing a number. After a few rings, it answered.

" _Hello?_ "

"Sir, this is Zarbon. I've called to tell you that Mr. Katas had me bring Piccolo's student to the Lookout."

" _Has she agreed to join the expedition?_ "

"He wouldn't have sent for her if he wasn't sure she would."

" _Fair enough. Looks like years of patience is about to pay off, Zarbon. Await further orders. We have an expedition to prepare for._ "

"Yes sir."

 _Click._

* * *

ORIGINAL X-CHICK NOTES: **_Things are happening people. I hope I portrayed everyone's characters well. It's my first time writing for them. Be sure to leave a review on your way out!_**

 _ **Story Notes**_

 **1.)** The museum board members come from Dr. Gero (self explanatory), Dr. Wheelo (the scientist from the _World's Strongest_ movie), Commander Red (the leader of the Red Ribbon Army), and Dr. Flappe (a filler scientist that was said to have built the androids before Gero came into the picture).

 **2.)** Zarbon is Helga, yes. He was the only one fabulous enough for the role, considering who I'm making Rourke.

 **3.)** Yamcha is Vinnie, Launch is Mole, and Krillin is Audrey. If you think these choices are weird... do you have ANY idea how hard it was to come up with those choices? I'll make them work, you'll see!

 **4.)** No matter what universe, Piccolo is a teacher through and through. Whether it be Gohan... or his girlfriend.

 **5.)** The surname 'Katas' comes from the name of the father of the Nameless Namekian who later became Kami and King Piccolo. Zarbon's surname means "green" (lack of originality, I know), Yamcha's comes from his Wolf Fang Fist, Launch's is French for weapon, and Krillin's is Spanish for chestnut.


	3. Setting Off and the Leviathan

**Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Atlantis. They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Setting Off**

* * *

 _ **Several weeks later, aboard the USS Four Star...**_

Videl, for what felt like the hundredth time since she boarded the ship, vomited the contents of her stomach over the railing and into the sea.

"Rides at the boardwalk? No problem. Sharpener's driving? No problem. But the minute I get on the boat... _then_ my stomach decides to mutiny?" Videl asked herself, wiping her mouth. "If this isn't an omen of things to come, I don't know what is..."

" _Attention,_ " a raspy old man's voice came over the ship's intercom. " _All personnel to the launch bay. Repeat, all personnel to the launch bay._ "

Videl sighed and heaved her dufflebag over her shoulder. Taking the staircase that had been shown to her when she'd first boarded, she made her way to the indoor loading dock that would bring her down to the launch bay. When she arrived, she was greeted by the sight of crates, vehicles, and the usual hustle and bustle of expedition prep.

 _Where do I go to report in?_ she thought, looking around. In doing this, she saw a familiar face. "Zarbon!"

The man in question turned from the truck he was looking over. "Ms. Satan. How good of you to join us. Did you finish vomiting?"

Videl scowled and walked up to him. "I've never been on a boat before, cut me some slack."

Zarbon was about to retort, when a crane lowered a covered wagon behind him. Riding this wagon was a disgruntled-looking fat man.

"Oi, Girly Locks!" the man said. "You and me have some business to discuss!"

"Excuse me, Ms. Satan." Zarbon exhaled sharply through his nose and turned to face the man. "What is it, Yajirobe?"

"What's the deal with all this crud you tossed into my wagon, huh?!" Yajirobe complained, rooting around. He tossed jars out of a box. "Cinnamon, olive oil..." He lifted up a bundle of radishes. "What are these?!"

"They're radishes, Yajirobe. You know, vegetables? One of the four basic food groups?"

"I don't know what this 'radish' is, but it sounds just like Yamcha. Stupid and unbearably lonely." Yajirobe tossed the vegetables aside. "I've got your food groups right here- meat, beans, booze, and beans."

Videl sweatdropped. _This guy is supposed to be the best at what he does_?

Once again, before Zarbon could reply, he was interrupted. Only this time it was from a loud overhead buzzer, not an irate cook.

"Look alive, people!" Zarbon hollered. He shoved Yajirobe into his wagon. "Let's pack up and move out!"

" _Attention, all hands to the launch bay,_ " the old man voice said again on the intercom. " _Repeat, all hands to the launch bay. Final loading in progress._ "

A veritable army of men marched into a large elevator, and seeing she had been abandoned by Zarbon, Videl jogged over to join them. The elevator lowered and soon enough she found herself looking into the launch bay and at the majesty of the _Olibu_ , the massive submarine Kami had built just for expedition. He had apparently named it after a famous adventurer and warrior from mythology. The sub was brown and gold and looked like something straight out of those Jules Verne novels Piccolo had liked so much. All in all, Videl was blown away.

She was so blown away that she didn't notice a large wheel barrow filled with crates coming up behind her. It ended up bumping into her backside.

"Hey!" she shouted when she nearly stumbled.

"Hey, pipsqueak, stop gawking and get moving!" the man steering the wheel barrow said gruffly. "We all have places to be!"

Videl turned and glared at him. He was an older man with short black hair and multiple scars on his face. She recognized him as Yamcha Wolf from the files- the former bandit who was apparently stupid and unbearably lonely. Though she didn't show it, she was actually a little bit intimidated by his size, former occupation, and rough expression.

"Don't look at me like that, you were the one who- _oh my gosh, you're a girl_!" The gruffness melted away into rich embarrassment. Yamcha was blushing so deeply he looked feverish. "I am so, so, _so_ sorry! From behind you look like a man!"

"Don't worry, I'm used to it. Yamcha, right?" Videl sighed and reached down. Some red stick had fallen from the crates when they had collided. "Here, you dropped your..." She paled. "... d-d-dynamite?"

That's right, the file said he handled demolitions. But who handled explosives so carelessly?!

Yamcha took the bomb from her and put it into the top crate. "Phew, thanks. I would've hated to lose track of that."

Videl stared wide-eyed at his collection. "What kind of stuff do you have in there?"

"The essentials. Dynamite, nitroglycerin, ropes, hooks, fuses, wicks, glue, safety timers..." Yamcha's brow furrowed. "... _Did_ I bring timers? Oh well, I'm sure they're somewhere. See you."

Yamcha then walked off, leaving a very stunned Videl behind. Just what kind of people were being let on this expedition by Kami anyway?

"Videl!"

Speak of the devil. There Kami was, dressed in a blue seaman coat and hat. He was flanked by a short, pale man with slicked back hair so dark, it was bordering on being purple. He wore a military uniform, so Videl assumed then and there he was part of the expedition in some way.

"Hi, Kami!" she greeted, joining him. "Come to see me off?"

"Of course, my dear." He gestured to his companion. "This is Commander Freeza. He led the Iceland group that brought back your journal."

"Videl Satan," Freeza said silkily, shaking her hand. "It's pleasure to finally meet Piccolo's mysterious apprentice... though he never said you were a woman."

Videl smiled back tightly and hugged the journal to her chest. "I guess he felt it wasn't an important detail."

"Perhaps." He glanced at the journal. "I see the you have the Shepherd's Journal with you. It has nice pictures, but the dialogue doesn't do much for me. I'm sure _you'll_ like it though."

Sensing the tension, Kami got between the two and gave Videl a smile. He gestured to their surroundings. "Impressive, isn't it, my dear?"

"You're telling me," Videl said with wonder, giving the room another once-over. "You don't do things halfway, huh?"

"When it came to the journey of discovery and adventure, Piccolo and I both felt no expense was too small," Kami said proudly. "The knowledge we'll gain will be priceless."

"I agree. I'm sure this trip will be quite _enriching_ ," Freeza added. Videl noticed he had an oddly effeminate voice.

As Freeza stepped forward to survey progress, Videl leaned towards Kami and gave him a look.

"I know, I know- his personality leaves something to be desired," Kami whispered tiredly. "But I hired him for his experience and leadership skills. He may not win any awards for attitude, but he'll get you to Vegetasei, guaranteed."

"I'm holding you to that," she told him pointedly.

"If it makes you feel better, Piccolo didn't like him very much either."

He was right- it _did_ make her feel better. She didn't have much time to enjoy it, for another announcement came over the speakers.

" _Attention all personnel. Launch will commence in fifteen minutes- and I mean with the sub, not our hot geologist. Stop asking!_ "

"That's our cue," Freeza said to Videl. He turned to Kami and gave him a salute. "Mr. Katas."

"Freeza," Kami replied, returning the salute.

Freeza walked away from the old man and up the ramp into the _Olibu_. Videl hefted her bag higher over her shoulder and ran after him.

"Bye, Kami!" she shouted, waving the journal at him.

"Good luck, Videl!" Kami said back, just as the doors closed behind her. "Make us proud!"

Once the doors shut, Videl followed Freeza into the bridge of the _Olibu_ so she could watch the submarine submerge. It was just as busy inside as it had been back aboard the _Four Star._ Sailors and other personnel scrambled around, hitting switches, checking valves, and closing hatches. Freeza and Zarbon (who Videl had learned was Freeza's lieutenant and right-hand man) directed all the men and women with expert authority and efficiency. She still didn't like the Commander, but she had to admit he clearly knew what he was doing.

A blaring alarm rang throughout the bridge, signaling the clamps keeping the sub above water were about to release. Videl braced herself and was not disappointed. With a sudden jerk she felt the ship enter the ocean. She pressed her face against the yellow glass that surrounded the bridge, and through it she could see Kami giving her one last thumb's up. Not ten seconds later, her view was filled with nothing but water. The _Olibu_ had fully submerged.

She stared in awe at the vast blue depths of sea, smiling when she saw fish swim by. She clutched the journal close to her heart.

 _Almost there, Mr. Piccolo,_ she thought. _Almost there._

* * *

Videl hadn't stuck around long after the submarine launched. The day's excitement (and sea-sickness) was finally catching up with her. She felt like she was going to crash at any moment. She practically sleep-walked to the cabin that was assigned to her. The room itself was tiny, with two sets of bunk beds inside- one on either wall.

The moment she entered the room, she set her bag on the ground, shrugged off her coat, and plopped down onto one of the bottom bunks. Her bed was rather lumpy, but she really didn't care at the moment. Shutting her eyes, she prepared to take a much-needed nap.

The universe appeared to have other ideas, because almost immediately she was awoken by a bright light shining in her face. The first thing she saw upon waking was a set of icy green eyes glaring at her, the light being from a flashlight.

"What the-?!" she started to shout.

"Yer messin' up my babies," a rough voice growled.

"I'm _what_?"

The eyes narrowed and their owner flipped down from the bunk above. She was a blond woman with piercing green eyes and a vicious scowl. She wore a leather cap with goggles and a short fur coat, which to Videl looked weird but she wasn't about to tell her that. This woman looked ready to kill something. Or _someone_.

"Yer messin' up my babies!" the blond shrieked, this time more forcefully.

She grabbed Videl roughly by the back of her shirt and yanked her from the bed. Before Videl could protest, she tore the blanket from the bunk, and the young linguist turned very, very, pale for the second time that day. In her bunk were guns, bullets, small kegs of gunpowder, and even a couple of grenades.

 _... And I just_ threw _myself on all that?!_ she thought, panicked.

"Look at all this!" the blond continued as she tried to reorganize everything. "Ammunition and weapons from all over the world and ya just landed your skinny butt into them like it was nothin'! British bullets should never mix with French gunpowder!"

"What is all that doing in my bed?!" Videl shouted. "I could have died!"

The blond leaned into close to Videl. "Ya ask an awful lotta questions for a nerd. Who are you, who sent you? Don't just stand there like a dumbass!"

Videl was taken completely aback. She literally had no answer for this person. While Videl liked the idea of another woman on board who wasn't afraid to speak her mind or not act like the conventional lady, she had limits.

Sneering, the blond snatched up Videl's belongings and shoved them into her arms. She then started to push Videl out the door. Videl could have sworn she felt the tube of a pistol being pressed up against her back.

"Get lost!" the blond hollered. "I don't need somebody like ya getting into my things and being a dumbass!"

"But-?!" Videl tried to argue. She couldn't even see- her coat was covering her face.

"Out, out, _out_!"

As Videl was pushed towards the door, she felt herself being rammed into something solid and warm. When she removed her coat from her vision, she could see the solid and warm thing was...

"You messed up her ammunition pile, didn't you."

... a man's muscular, _bare_ chest.

Videl backpedaled and darted back into the room, blushing. Standing in the door way was a tall, bald man. He was very muscular and, as previously stated, shirtless. (Going off of the towel around his neck, he must have just gotten out of the shower.) His most striking feature was a tattoo of an eye in the center of his forehead.

Shaking his head, he fully entered the cabin and crossed his arms, glaring at the crazy woman. "Launch, we talked about this. You can't try to shoot every single person that pisses you off."

"Butt out, Tien!" Launch snapped. It was considerably less scary, since she was blushing also. "And what are you even doin' in here, this is a girl's cabin! Ya can't just waltz in here all shirtless like that!" She smiled suggestively. "Wait for me to invite ya first. Geez."

Videl blushed harder. She was _not_ hearing this.

Tien rolled his eyes, unfazed. "Whatever. Fact of the matter is, we can't have you blowing a hole in the side of the submarine. I'm sorry, but we need _her_ right now."

Launch's eyes widened. She aimed her pistol at Tien. "No, no, don't ya dare! Do _not_ bring out that little ditz! Are you listenin', Tien? Do _not_ -!"

Tien quickly reached into his pocket and blew some kind of dust into Launch's face. Videl caught a whiff of it and gave a small sneeze.

 _Pepper?_ she thought.

Launch's nose twitched, and her hand went to her face in an effort to contain the oncoming reaction.

"Ah... ah... ah- _CHOO_!"

The blonde gave that one mighty sneeze and she went through what could only be called a transformation. Her yellow locks became bluish-black, and when she opened her eyes they were dark blue instead of green. That wasn't the only change. Her facial features in general became softer and rounder. She was now a completely different person.

Videl gaped. "What the _hell_?"

The new Launch blinked in confusion, taking in her surroundings. "Goodness gracious! This isn't my apartment. Where am I?" She saw Tien and smiled. "Oh, hello, Tien! Do you know where I am?"

"You're aboard the _Olibu_ , where the expedition to find Vegetasei has officially gone underway," Tien replied.

"Oh, so that finally got off the ground, huh? That's wonderful!"

Launch turned around and looked at Videl. Videl warily looked back at her. Then, out of nowhere, Launch reached out and snatched Videl's hand. The linguist tried to take it back, but she was deceptively strong. With a pair of tweezers she removed a speck of dirt from under her nails. Then Launch abruptly let go, causing Videl to fall to the ground.

"Ow!" Videl rubbed her head in pain. "What was that for?"

Ignoring the question, Launch lowered her goggles and twisted a knob on the side of them to increase magnification. She studied the little piece of dirt.

"Parchment from 13th century paper, paint particles from an Orange Star City townhouse, hair follicles from two blondes/early twenties/married approximately 3 years ago, ink drops from a basic manufacturer's plant in Pepper Town, and lint from carpeting in Orange Star History Museum." She raised her googles and nodded, satisfied. "All the microscopic finger prints of a cartographer and linguist!"

Videl blinked. "... How did you know that?"

Launch ignored this question as well, instead helping Videl to her feet and enthusiastically shaking her hand.

"You must be Professor Katas' apprentice, Videl!" Launch said happily. "It's so nice to finally meet you! It'll be great to have another woman around!"

"I bet..." Videl said weakly.

"Anywho, I should probably check in with whoever's in charge. Ta-ta!"

Launch let go of Videl's hand and promptly skipped out of the cabin. Videl waited until she was out of sight to give Tien the most confused and bewildered expression she could muster.

"She has a condition called Multiple Personality Disorder," Tien explained. "Whenever she sneezes, she switches from the kind geologist to..."

"... the gun-toting psycho?" Videl finished.

"In a nutshell." He stuck out his hand. "Tien Shinhan. Medical Officer."

Videl took the hand and shook it. "Videl Satan. Linguist and Cartographer."

"Thought so. You're my two o'clock." Tien pulled a doctor's bag out of nowhere, opened it, and removed a rather large saw. "Now is as good a time as any, I suppose."

Videl's eyes widened. "Uh..."

The bald man flicked the saw. "Nice, huh? Supposedly it will cut through a femur in 28 seconds, but with any luck I won't have to use it on this trip." He placed the saw down and whipped out two beakers. "Also, before I give you your physical, I'm going to need you to fill these."

Videl blanched and scrambled backward. "With _what_?"

"I'm a doctor. Do you really need to ask?"

Luckily for the linguist, an announcement came over the speakers.

" _Would Videl Satan please report to the bridge?_ "

"Oh thank goodness!" Videl sighed in relief. She waved awkwardly at Tien. "That's me! Gotta go, nice meeting you!"

Videl ran out of the cabin, leaving Tien alone with his beakers. He narrowed his eyebrows and started to put his supplies away.

"Chiaotzu's right," he muttered. "I've got to learn to be more subtle."

He stood up straight and prepared to leave the room, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head.

"Hey, Tien," a very blonde Launch said, smiling ferally. "I'll give ya one guess what Yajirobe was holdin' when I ran into him."

Before Tien could say anything or make a break for it, Launch grabbed him by the shoulders. She proceeded to shove him back into the cabin, slam the door closed after her, and lock it.

* * *

"You should've seen her, she had a pair of chi-chis the size of-" Roshi, the communications officer, was saying into his radio (though how he could contact the surface at this depth was a mystery all its own). He was interrupted by a buzzer. "Hold on, I got another call."

He flipped a switch, receiving a message. He called up to Freeza, "Commander, we are approaching our target coordinates."

"Thank you, Roshi," Freeza replied. "Let's have a look around."

Zarbon nodded and began directing the men as to where to move the submarine.

Videl had actually taken a while to get to the bridge, for in her haste to get away from Tien, she hadn't been watching where she was going and got lost. She had eventually been steered in the right direction, but she knew Freeza was going to make a comment about it.

Steeling herself for whatever might come, Videl entered the bridge. She walked up several stairs to get the small platform where Freeza and Zarbon were standing. They weren't alone. The platform was occupied also by a short, noseless man with cropped black hair and wearing a pair of overalls and a cap (Krillin Castana, she remembered), Yamcha (who waved at her), one or two sailors, blonde Launch (who was grinning like a satisfied cat), and a stone-faced Tien (who was now fully clothed).

 _I was more lost than I thought_ , Videl thought. _Launch and Tien got here before I did_.

Freeza stepped up to her. "Welcome to the bridge, Videl. _So_ glad you could finally make it."

Videl's eyebrow twitched. _And there it is_.

Freeza clapped his hands, gaining everyone's attention. "Alright everyone, listen up. I want you to give Videl here your undivided attention."

Videl swallowed, took a deep breath, and marched up to the whiteboard. "Good afternoon. I assume you all know why you're here, so I'll skip further pleasantries and get started. We'll begin with some slides. This slide depicts an illustration of creature said to be so terrifying, men would go mad just by seeing it."

She turned to the projector and stuck in a slide. The image projected was a simple drawing of a tailed creature. All in all, it was little disappointing after that build-up.

"... That looks like something my three-year-old drew," Krillin deadpanned.

"That looks like something I would eat served with butter," Yamcha added with a snicker.

"Hey, I never said it was a _good_ illustration, okay?" Videl grumbled, blushing. She composed herself and gestured to the image. "This creature is a mythical sea monster called the Hirudegarn, believed to have guarded the entrance to Vegetasei with fire blazing from its maw." She shrugged. "More likely it's a statue or a carving placed there to frighten away anyone looking for the city."

"Say we manage to find this work of art- then what?" Freeza asked.

"We dig, right?" Launch piped up.

Videl turned off the projector, shaking her head. "Actually, we won't have to." She took out a marker and drew a quick diagram on the board. "According to the journal, the path to Vegetasei will take us down a tunnel at the bottom of the ocean. There, we'll come up a curve and into an air pocket where we will find the remains of an ancient underground highway."

Yamcha whistled. "Impressive. Someone knows their stuff."

Launched grabbed Zarbon's arm. "Oi, you said we'd be digging!"

Zarbon pushed her away roughly. "Later, Launch."

"Commander?" the helmsman spoke up. Everyone turned to look at him. "I think you need to see this."

Freeza sighed. "All of you, dismissed. Helmsman, turn on the exterior lights."

The command was followed, and a few seconds later the ocean outside the sub lit up. What was revealed was...

"... Ships?" Videl whispered.

Littering the sea floor were the wrecks of hundreds, if not thousands, of ships. Viking ships, Phoenician war ships, and just about anything else you could think of. As far as Videl could see, there was a ship from every era in history laying ruined in the trench.

"Look at all that," Zarbon said. "What could have done this?

While the crewmen at the helm pondered this, Roshi started to get strange sounds on his radio. He adjusted the dial to see if what he was hearing wasn't just static, and it didn't appear to be. Still, the commander needed to know.

"Hey, commander!" Roshi shouted. "You need to hear this!"

Freeza did not hear Roshi's call for he was listening to Videl read from the Shepherd's Journal.

" _Eiságete ti̱ fo̱liá tou Hirudegarn, kai ekeí tha vrei to drómo pros ti̱n pýli̱ ,_ " Videl read aloud. "Enter the lair of the Hirudegarn, and there you will find the path to the gateway."

"You translated that rather fast," Freeza commented.

Videl snapped the book shut proudly. "It's what I do."

"HEY, COMMANDER! LISTEN TO YOUR ELDERS FOR A CHANGE!" Roshi hollered impatiently.

"Calm down, Roshi, before you have coronary," Freeza called down to him. "What is it?"

"We're getting something really weird over the hydrophones."

"Put it on the speakers."

Roshi flipped a switched and the bridged was filled with a deep, rumbling sound. It sounded like a roar, but at the same time it didn't.

 _That's creepy,_ Videl thought.

Freeza marched down the steps to Roshi's station, leaning over the console. "What is that, a pod of whales?"

Roshi shook his head. "No way. It's bigger."

"It sounds metallic," Videl said, walking up behind them and turning a knob. "It could just be an echo off the rocks."

"Stick to your books and let me do my job," Roshi snapped. He then noticed how close he was to Videl's chest. "Or stay right here..."

Videl caught his line of sight and whacked him upside the head. She stood up straight and looked around. "Okay, is it just me, or is it getting louder?"

The sound _was_ getting louder as Videl and Freeza rejoined Zarbon on the platform. It got noisier and noisier... then it stopped. The silence following was tense, and everyone waited for something else to come.

"... Whatever it was, it's gone now," Zarbon said after a few seconds.

"Right," Freeza agreed. "Helmsman, bring us about. Tighten our search pattern and-"

 _ **ROAR!**_

Freeza never finished the command, for the _Olibu_ lurched to the side and threw everyone off-balance. And while this chaos began, Videl couldn't help but have one thing run through her head.

 _Yup. Definitely an omen of things to come._

* * *

 ** _Meanwhile..._**

The guard entered the throne room. " _Megaleiótate_!" **[Your majesty!]**

The man sitting on the throne turned from the young man he had been arguing with beforehand. " _Ti eínai af̱tó?̱_ " **[What is it?]**

" _Eínai i̱ Hirudegarn. Échei energopoii̱theí!_ " the guard replied. **[It's the Hirudegarn. It has been activated!]**

The young man's eyes widened, but the king merely scoffed.

" _Kai edó̱ skéfti̱ka af̱tés oi anói̱toi í̱tan teliká árro̱stoi gia na párei af̱toktóni̱san_ ," he said coldly. " _Kríma_." **[And here I thought those fools were finally sick of getting themselves killed. A pity.]**

" _Tha prépei na to mataió̱soun. Íso̱s-_ " the young man started to argue. **[You should call it off. Maybe-]**

" _Sio̱pí̱! Den tha akoúsete éna akómi̱ léxi̱ anoi̱síes. Katalávete, Gohan_?" **[Silence! I will not hear one more word of nonsense. Understand, Gohan?]**

"... _Nai, to megaleío sas._ " **[Yes, your majesty.]**

* * *

 **ORIGINAL X-CHICK NOTES: **

**1.)** The name of the submarine, Olibu, comes from one the dead warriors Goku meets in the Otherworld Tournament Filler Arc of DBZ.

 **2.)** The name of the sea monster, Hirudegarn, in the name of the monster the gang fights in the film _Wrath of the Dragon_.

 **3.)** If you caught the TFS reference in this story, you get a cookie!


	4. New Plan, New Friends

**And thus begins the first chapter that is MY writing. Here we go!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Atlantis the Lost Empire. They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: New Plan, New Friends**

* * *

Videl slowly brought herself to a stand, which proved to be a challenge with all the people constantly bumping into her. Crewmen rushed about the bridge, yelling orders and flipping switches. Red lights were flashing and alarms rang all over the submarine. Worried, Videl tucked the journal securely in her arms and turned to Freeza and Zarbon.

"What the _hell_ is going on?!" she shouted.

Freeza chose to ignore her as he spoke to his lieutenant, who was recovering from the sudden attack. "I absolutely refuse to fail an expedition on the account of a _crustacean._ " He smoothed over a few hairs that were out of place. "I want that thing cooked and served up on a silver platter."

Videl frowned. _What thing?_

Zarbon nodded at the order as he wiped a bit of blood from his mouth. "I concur." He strode over to the railing and began barking down to the workers below. "Load the torpedo bays! Subpod crews to their battle stations! Keep it together and don't panic, understand?!"

As calls of "yessir!" resounded, Videl was again impressed by the men in charge of the journey. Despite their sour attitudes, Videl had to admit that their authority seemed to be well-earned.

The ship suddenly swayed again, and Videl lost her footing as she tumbled over the railing, crashing onto a window on the lower deck.

 _How many times am I going to fall on my butt on this trip...?_ she thought painstakingly.

The linguist rolled onto her stomach to push herself up... and came face to face with a giant, glowing red eye.

Videl's eyes widened as she stumbled back and finally got a good look at what was attacking the submarine. Whirring joints connected metal limbs to a humongous body, with claws twice the size of the _Olibu_ clutching the vessel. An armor-like shell covered the head and midsection, and the tail seemed sharp enough to puncture any one of the abandoned ships in the trench.

When the eye glowering at her constricted, not unlike a camera lens, Videl's suspicions were confirmed.

"The Hirudegarn," she breathed. "It's a _machine_!"

A second claw appeared and wrapped around the ship's hull, turning the _Olibu_ at an awkward angle.

Videl looked up to the bridge, shouting, "Freeza, we-!"

"I am aware," Freeza replied, cutting Videl off. He was observing something in the water aside from the Hirudegarn, then proceeded to speak into what looked to be a receiver. "Fire!"

Lights shone from the windows, and Videl turned to see multiple pods outside of the ship firing explosives at the monster. It roared, releasing the ship to try and swat at the (comparatively) tiny pods.

"We're free. All ahead full!" Freeza's eyes shifted towards Videl, who still sat on the window below. "Ms. Satan, do get off your rear before you get knocked down again." For whatever reason, the commander being so eloquent was even more irritating than if he had been outright nasty. It made Videl scowl as she stood and ran up the stairs.

As the _Olibu_ began to move forward again, the battle outside began to take a turn for the worse. The Hirudegarn started to slash at the pods outside. Despite its large size, the monster moved quickly in the water. Videl heard herself gasp as pincers pierced a few pods, making them explode.

 _Oh, God..._ she thought with despair. _All those people_...

Her thoughts were cut short when the Hirudegarn's antennae began to glow. It shot out what looked to be some sort of beam right into the side of the ship, puncturing it.

Videl turned to Zarbon. "You think Kami wanted the sub back in the same condition?"

Zarbon pinched the skin between his eyes as the shouts around the two became louder. "There is a time and place for jokes, Ms. Satan." He glared at her before turning back to the control board. "And neither of them occur around me."

Videl grimaced. Geez, she was just trying to lighten the mood a little.

...Then again, when people around you are dying, one may not feel up to witty banter.

Roshi, seemingly unaffected by the events going on around him, looked up from a dirty magazine he was reading. "Commander, I have engineering on channel four."

Freeza sighed as he walked over to the intercom. "Great. More things going wrong I assume." He flipped a switch on the receiver.

" _FREEZA! WHAT THE HELL IS A LIGHTNING BOLT DOING UNDER THE OCEAN?!_ " Krillin's voice screeched a bit from the feedback. Freeza winced.

"What's going on down there?" he asked, rubbing an ear.

" _Well, there's a giant_ hole _in the side of the ship, and we're taking on water fast. We'll either die from drowning or water hitting the boiler. I'd prefer neither_."

"How much time do we have?"

" _Twenty minutes, if the bulkhead holds_." Suddenly, a loud bang could be heard over the intercom. " _...Dammit. Better make that five._ "

Freeza cursed, then shouted to his men, "Let's move it! Down to the escape pods!"

Videl felt herself being pushed forward by one of the crewmen, down the stairs. "Wait, what? We're going where?"

They were just going to _leave_? Would the smaller ships be able to withstand the trip to the air pocket?

Zarbon leaned over the railing, shouting at Roshi, who was still sitting at his station. "Roshi! Sound the alarm!"

But once again, Roshi was on the phone with a friend (amusing, considering the whole sub was shaking and the red lights were still flashing). "Wait, she said _what_? Oolong, buddy, you're being a doormat! Hurry up and grow a-"

"ROSHI!" Zarbon yelled, losing his patience.

"Whoops, looks like I gotta go. If I die, don't take the stuff under my bed... I dunno, bury it in honor of me or something, just don't steal it!"

* * *

As Videl ran through several doors, pulling her coat on as she went, she and the men from the bridge were joined by more crewmates, including Krillin and Tien. She sighed in relief- at least they were alright.

"Move it people!" Zarbon bellowed, holding open a lower hatch as Krillin descended into the pod. "I'd rather _not_ die slowly and painfully, thank you!"

 _Man_ , Videl thought as she climbed down the ladder. _If this is how Zarbon gets in a tense situation, I'd hate to see what Freeza is like._

She hit the floor of the smaller vessel and ran over to where Krillin and Tien were buckling themselves into their seats. Zarbon sprinted past her to the wheel, joining Freeza.

"You guys alright?" Videl asked. "Where are Yamcha and Launch?" On another escape pod maybe?

Krillin barely glanced at her as he tightened his straps. "They're already out there, distracting the crab."

Videl felt her jaw drop. " _What?!_ Are they insane?!" He was a demolitions expert and she was a geologist. Neither seemed a likely choice for battling a sea monster.

Tien finished buckling himself, not looking up. "Launch wanted to shoot something and Yamcha was her babysitter for the hour."

Videl slapped her forehead, then moved to the front near Zarbon and Freeza. "What's the holdup? We need to go!"

" _Thank you_ for the stating the glaringly obvious, Ms. Satan!" Freeza turned to Zarbon. "Lieutenant!"

Said lieutenant was pushing forward on a lever. "I'm working on it! It's stuck, dammit!"

Another roar was heard, and the room shook as another bolt went through the _Olibu_.

"Oh, _move!_ " Videl shoved Zarbon out of the way and kicked the lever, throwing her weight onto it.

The lever lurched forward, and the bay doors opened.

Shooting Videl a look, Zarbon took the wheel again. "Hang on."

The warning came a bit late as the pod shot forward and into open water, effectively sending Videl flying backwards.

 _Oh shi-!_

Videl's thought was interrupted by a hand grabbing the back of her coat and pulling her into her seat.

"Watch it," Tien scolded as he buckled her in. Videl nodded dumbly as Krillin grinned in amusement.

Outside, the Hirudegarn roared as it let loose another lightning blast, tearing the remains of the large submarine into pieces as several tiny escape pods zoomed away from it.

Debris knocked Videl's pod, and Freeza looked over his shoulder at her. "Where to, Ms. Satan?" Considering the situation, the man had managed to stay remarkably calm.

Videl flipped the journal open, skimming a few pages. "Um, we're looking for a big crevice in the ocean floor! It shouldn't be too far-"

"There!" Freeza pointed out a large fissure ahead of the pod.

Zarbon nodded as he spoke into a radio. "All craft, adjust your mark to 20 degrees down angle."

" _Roger!"_ was the response from most of the other units.

" _Right behind ya!"_ Launch's voice was heard through the speaker and Videl saw some of the tension leave Tien's face.

The Hirudegarn was right on the subs' tails as they dipped into the crevice, some getting whacked and destroyed by the monsters large pincers, another getting shot by lightning.

Videl was pretty sure she was hyperventilating by the time they reached the curve she had talked about.

She could see Zarbon gritting his teeth as he struggled to control the erratic movements of the craft, knocking into the sides of the tunnel and even some of their shipmates. He gave out a bit of a yell as he pulled on the wheel, moving the craft upwards and into the air pocket the journal spoke of.

And just as suddenly as the whole attack occurred, peace came.

* * *

Any other time, Videl would have admired the cavern the air pocket had led into.

In the massive underground chamber, stalactites from the ceiling and stalagmites from the ground popped out all over, varying in size. At the shore of the water, a path surrounded by what looked to be broken marble buildings led into the mouth of a giant head- a fearsome looking fish, the gateway to the start of their journey.

The place was ancient and beautiful in Videl's eyes.

She just wished that a high price hadn't been paid to get there.

Videl watched solemnly with the rest of the survivors as (blue-haired) Launch gently placed a bowl with a lit candle into the water, watching as it floated away- a memorial to their fallen comrades.

Videl sighed, remembering the large amount of people she had observed working and maintaining the _Olibu._ Now, there was only a fraction of those people left.

 _I never thought a research expedition could be so dangerous, Mr. Piccolo,_ she thought. _If I had known something like this would happen, I don't think I would have taken Kami's offer._

Videl heard the commander sigh, and looked up to see him turn to the rest of the crew.

"Several hours ago, we started this expedition with 200 of the finest men and women I have ever had the pleasure of working with." Freeza walked through the crowd, observing the supplies that had been salvaged. "We are all that is left." His head lowered for a moment, but soon he was standing straight and was all business. "To be blunt, we have a crisis here. But we have been through this kind of situation before, and I'll be damned before we let it get the best of us."

Freeza placed a hand on one of the vehicles. "From this point forward, everyone pulls double duty. Working, driving, whatever it may be. Be sure to pull your own weight." He paused, before giving a slightly defeated sigh, looking in Videl's direction. "But, if I'm honest, our best chance at survival lies in your hands, Ms. Satan."

Videl looked down at the journal in her hands as Freeza's final words resounded. "You and that little book."

 _They're all counting on me,_ the linguist thought.

She lifted her head high and nodded confidently.

"I'd follow her _anywhere_." Videl decided to take Roshi's words as encouragement rather than as a pick-up line.

Freeza nodded at Zarbon, who began giving out orders. "Alright, everyone, let's move. Get the convoy started and everyone take a vehicle."

The crew went into work mode, setting supplies into trucks and firing up engines.

"Launch, you're on point. Yamcha, get away from the oiler, you're not to get within 50 meters of that thing. Krillin, make sure the drill has enough juice for a day's drive. Roshi, so help me, if you light that cigarette now, I'll throw your pack into the water!" Zarbon continued handing out assignments, and Videl felt a little helpless. Was there something she could do?

Looking around the cavern, Videl's eyes landed on an unoccupied truck, and she walked over to it. On an outside rail was a little horn.

Well, if one sees a horn, one must _honk_ the horn, yes?

Videl reached out to do so, but a pale hand intercepted her own. "Ms. Satan." She looked up to see an unamused Freeza clutching the now broken-off horn.

 _Guy's stronger than he looks_ , Videl noted.

"Are you checked out on this class of vehicle?" the commander asked.

"...Huh?" Videl stated in confusion.

Freeza gave her a humorless look. "Can you drive a truck?"

Oh. Well.

Honestly, Videl had never _needed_ to learn to drive. Erasa and Sharpener lived in a neighborhood where everything was in walking distance, even Videl's job. Heck, even when living with Mr. Piccolo, _he'd_ driven her everywhere- it was one of the places they'd talk and bond.

But Commander Paleskin didn't need to know that.

"Of course I can," Videl replied, with some forced bravado. "I mean, who can't in this day and age?" She climbed into the driver's seat. "You have your steering wheel, your gas, your brake..." She looked at a lever on the right-hand side of the wheel. "...This thing..."

Freeza simply cocked an eyebrow.

"So let's go!" Videl stomped on a pedal. Nothing happened. "Uh..."

"You need to insert a key first, Ms. Satan," Freeza clarified.

"Oh." She blushed. "I knew that-"

"Get out of the vehicle, Ms. Satan."

"Yeah, okay."

* * *

 **Expedition Day 3:**

Moving trucks through the underground highway may _sound_ like a piece of cake, but it was harder than Videl originally thought. The paths were thin, so the vehicles had to stay in a line, and the lane switched between winding around the gigantic stalactites or going across old bridges. A few times, the crew had to go around an old statue that blocked the road.

And if that wasn't bad enough, they had encountered a giant bug monster that Videl had inadvertently run them right into.

How was she supposed to know that the sentence went onto the next page, saying to _avoid_ going on the right path instead of the left? It was a dead language, she was bound to make at least _one_ mistake. At least no one had been hurt- if anything, the creature just seemed annoyed that its home was being barged into. Zarbon had given her a good yelling at, nonetheless.

But even so, Videl worked to make sure she didn't make the same mistake again. She'd even sit away from the other travelers during meals, setting up a little outdoor study so she could continue to translate passages ahead of time.

There'd be no more mistakes. Not like that bug, not like the Hirudegarn.

* * *

 **Expedition Day 7:**

During one break, Videl was drinking from a canteen she had found in the back of Yamcha's truck. It was mostly full, and she figured that he wouldn't miss a sip or two.

Speak of the devil- Yamcha rounded the corner of the truck, holding what looked to be a pack of C4. He took one look at Videl and dropped the explosive material carelessly onto the ground. "You didn't just drink that did you?!"

Videl frowned as she nodded, and Yamcha's expression became panicked. "Are you crazy?! That was nitroglycerin!"

Videl dropped the canteen and immediately turned to throw up.

"No, don't do that! Any sudden change in your stomach acid content could set it off!" Yamcha took her by the shoulders.

"Well, what do I do?!" Videl shouted in a panic.

"Nothing- except kiss me goodbye."

Videl's dread was immediately replaced by deadpan. "What."

"Well, you're about to die, so you need comfort in your final moments. I'm willing to take on the responsibility." Yamcha stepped forward and closed his eyes.

Videl picked up the canteen and peered inside- yep. Just water. She turned away and called over blond Launch, who was passing by.

Yamcha opened his eyes to see Launch smirking as her fist connected with his nose.

* * *

 **Expedition Day 13:**

As previously said, there were times when the vehicles had to go over bridges- but, since these were ancient ruins, there were also times that the bridges looked especially worn and crumbly. So, members of the crew had go around, climbing hunks of debris to lighten the load.

Videl stuck her foot onto a ledge as she reached up to climb onto the next rock- though with difficulty. She prided herself on her physical fitness, but climbing had never been her forte...

That was exemplified when Videl slipped and began to fall. "Gah!"

Her descent was halted by a large hand grabbing onto her coat.

 _This certainly feels familiar_ , Videl thought as Tien hauled her up onto the rock with his one hand. "Thank you," she said. "For now, and... well, back on the submarine." Videl scratched the back of her head a bit sheepishly.

Tien gave her a small nod, then turned to catch up with the rest of the group.

Videl frowned a little. "I can never read that guy," she said, mostly to herself.

"Yeah." Videl heard someone sigh beside her. She turned to see a blue Launch pulling her furry collar up to her face, as if trying to hide her blush. "Isn't it great?"

Videl simply gave the erratic woman beside her a look before moving to join the others.

* * *

 **Expedition Day 17:**

Videl was getting a bit worried as to how long they'd be underground. They had just spent the last three days trekking across an area not unlike the arctic, with near-freezing temperatures and snowy hills. _Snow!_ Underground!

It seemed with each obstacle they overcame, a new one presented itself. If it wasn't a sea monster, it was a giant bug, or snow, or a mile-high engraved pillar blocking the path (which Videl had thought was a beautiful piece of architecture, but Yamcha blew it up to make a bridge across a huge gorge. She believed he secretly enjoyed the look of shock on her face).

This time, their thin, elevated road was being blocked by a gigantic section of rock, looking as if it had fallen from the walls into place.

Freeza gave the barrier a scathing look before turning to his demolitions expert. "Well, Mr. Wolf?"

Yamcha wore a contemplative expression as he twirled a stick of dynamite around his fingers. "Yeah, I could unblock that if I had, like, 200 of these." He picked up a bag and began rummaging through it. "Thing is, I only have... ten. Plus, y'know, five of my own... a few cherry bombs..." He took out a wrapped package. "Some C4. Can never have enough C4."

"Too bad we don't have any nitroglycerin, eh Yamcha?!" Blond Launch called down from the drill, causing Videl to giggle and Yamcha to give the geologist a baleful look.

Freeza rolled his eyes. "Quiet down before you lose your chance to dig."

Launch gasped loudly, like a child on Christmas. "Consider it done!"

Once everyone was a safe distance away, Launch fired up the drill, sparks flying as the metal tip collided with the hard rock. It went well for a few moments- until the engine gave a sickly coughing sound and backfired.

Smoke poured out of the control panel as Launch kicked the door open and stuck her head out, coughing. "It's- _khaa!_ The engine is- _k_ _haa!_ DUMBASS- _KHAA!_ " The geologist then sneezed, reverting back to blue Launch, who took in her surroundings. "Oh dear," was all she could say.

Krillin opened the back of the drill, using his hat to wave away some of the smoke milling about. "Alright, baby, let's see what's wrong with you." He climbed inside, his short legs kicking out as he threw a few useless pieces out the back.

Videl looked over Krillin's shoulder (which wasn't hard- she was at least a head taller than him). "So... what are you..?"

"Ack!" Krillin's feet failed to find purchase as he climbed out, and he fell onto his back. "Ow." He slowly stood, and wiped some dust off his overalls. "I think the rotor's shot... better pull a spare from one of the trucks," he murmured as he walked past Videl.

Videl's eyes followed Krillin's retreating form. "Do you need help?" Freeza _had_ said everyone needed to work, after all.

Krillin gave her a stern (though not unkind) look. "No, don't touch it. I'll be right back." He continued on his way.

Videl frowned and peered into the opening of the truck. She recalled a time last year when Sharpener had been fixing his car, and, when all else had failed, he had simply kicked the engine a few times. The car started right up and Sharpener had lamented over his wasted hours.

Not really thinking, Videl stood up straight, lifted her leg, and struck her foot right into of the pipes.

The engine roared and clean exhaust erupted from the pipes above the drill. Videl could hear Launch squee-ing and clapping excitedly from the driver's seat.

"Hey, hey!" Krillin brushed past Videl and inspected the drill's inner components. "What...?" He directed his gaze at the girl behind him. "What did you do?"

Videl gulped, looking down at the engineer. "I... kicked it?"

Krillin's brow furrowed. "You kicked it."

"...Really hard?"

"Really hard."

Videl played with the hem of her shirt. "Well, it worked back on the submarine, and, uh..." She stopped at Krillin's pensive gaze.

A silence passed between the two as Launch began drilling again.

Suddenly, Krillin's hand shot forward, wrapping around her wrist, and he started dragging her towards the other vehicles. "C'mere. I got some other things I want you to kick."

"Huh?!"

* * *

 **Expedition Day 27:**

Videl couldn't help but grin as she compared what she was looking at to the illustration in the journal.

Their pathway had finally led to a giant cavern, with a large circular platform in the middle of the space leading to a long bridge. Above the ancient architecture was what looked to be a natural lantern, where rock was eroded and carved to hang from the ceiling of the cave. It was exactly like the (albeit simpler) drawing in the journal.

"This is it," Videl exclaimed excitedly. "It's gotta be. We're almost there!" She could feel herself bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

Zarbon made a "tch" sound at Videl's enthusiasm, but Freeza merely nodded. If Videl squinted, she swore she could almost see a smile on the commander's lips.

"Good. Very good. We'll camp here for the night," he called out to the rest of the workers.

As everyone began settling down, Krillin scratched his head. "Why is it glowing?"

Blue Launch leaned forward behind Krillin, resting her crossed arms on his head. "It's probably a natural phosphorescence. Something in the lantern absorbs energy, and then releases that energy as a light."

Yamcha grimaced. "Great. That thing is going to keep me up all night."

A few hours later, a dreaded time came upon the camp: dinner.

Videl was setting up her table a couple yards from the others. Who knew how soon it would be before they came upon Vegetasei? They had to be ready, and Videl would take as much time necessary to finish translating the Shepherd's Journal. She was still trying to figure out what was up with that one page near the middle...

"Oi! Chow time!"

Videl looked up and saw Yajirobe standing impatiently before her, pushing a hand truck with a pot of sludge on it.

"Oh, sorry, Yajirobe. Um, what's on the menu for today?" Videl asked as she took the tray the cook held out to her.

"Pork, with a side of beans and French rolls." Yajirobe dropped the contents of the pot onto Videl's tray, splattering it up into her face.

Videl wiped the ooze from her eyes. _Can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd rather eat that watery soup Mr. Piccolo used to always have. At least it didn't make me want to vomit._

Yajirobe gave Videl a curious look- at least, she thought it was curious. His face seemed to always have a grumpy expression. "Lady, why're you always sitting over here alone?"

Videl opened the journal as she took a (reluctant) bite from her food. "I still have a lot to finish translating, and-"

Yajirobe snorted as he wheeled the hand truck towards the campfire where Yamcha, Krillin, Tien, Launch, and Roshi were sitting. "Neh. Women. This is why I only live with my cat."

Videl scowled. Why ask if he really didn't care?

"Hey, Videl!" Videl turned to see Krillin waving at her over the fire. "How about you come join us?"

Videl raised her eyebrows, but hesitated. She still had a lot of work to do... but then again, no crises had happened in a while. Maybe a short break would do her some good.

Videl picked up the journal and her tray, slowly making her way over to her fellow travelers. "Are you sure I'm not intruding?"

"You are if you keep asking that," Yamcha retorted as he held up his tray to Yajirobe, who delivered the food with a _plop._

Roshi nodded in agreement as he lit a cigarette. "You may not think it, but you've been working just as hard as any of us. I've hardly seen you put that book down since we came ashore."

Videl smiled as she sat between Krillin and Tien. "Aw, thank you, Roshi. That's-"

"Also means that your boobs are constantly covered by said book."

Videl didn't bother to stop blond Launch as she whacked Roshi in the head.

Tien took a bite of his slop. "You must have read it a dozen times by now. Is it really that interesting?"

Videl flipped open the journal. "Well yes, of course, but there's one thing that I'm actually stuck on. See, on this page, it looks like the Shepherd is leading up to something." She scratched her head. "He calls it the heart of Vegetasei. It could be the power source the legends refer to." Videl pointed to the following page. "But then it just... it cuts off. It's almost like there's a missing page."

Launch picked some dirt out of her food. "This is why I don't read books. They make ya think too much."

The barest trace of a smile appeared on Tien's face. "You love books."

"That's the ditz, ya jerk."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Videl," Krillin interjected. "We don't get paid overtime."

Videl laughed a bit as she set the journal down beside her. "I know, I know. But I can't help but want to know more and more about the Saiyan culture. I mean, that's why we all came on this journey, right?"

Videl's smile faded at the blank looks she received.

"Unless," she amended slowly, "you're all just in it for the money."

The others shared a look.

"Money," they all said in unison.

Videl sweatdropped. _Guess I should have seen that coming._

She lifted her hand to pick up her spoon, before a twinge of pain spread across her knuckles. She winced.

"You okay?" Krillin asked.

"Yeah," Videl rubbed her hand a bit. "I guess writing all day, every day tends to-" She was cut off by Tien seizing her fingers.

"Hey, what- OW!" Videl cried out in surprise as Tien pushed down on her knuckles methodically.

After a few moments he released her. "Better?"

Overcoming the initial shock, Videl waved her hand a bit. "... Yeah! Wow." She turned to the bald doctor. "Where'd you learn how to do that?"

Tien shrugged. "Had it performed on my own hand when I was younger. I was so amazed, I decided to go travel through Asia learning other healing techniques to become a doctor." He pointed to his forehead tattoo. "That's where I got this."

Videl was impressed. "Really? Wow, Asia... hey, how'd you hurt your hand in the first place?"

"From punching out my old martial arts teacher," he replied simply, keeping his eyes on his food.

"Oh." Videl saw Yamcha make a cutting motion at his throat. _Best not to ask, I guess._

"Main course!" Yajirobe pushed another pot in front of the fire, only to be answered with shouts of refusal. "Don't want any? Sucks for you guys- this stuff won't go bad for months. It's all we're eating from here on out." He walked away indignantly.

"It went bad the minute it hit the pot," Roshi remarked.

The others nodded in consensus before pouring their leftovers into the fire.

* * *

After hearing a little bit about Tien's past, Videl came to realize that in all the time she'd been with her fellow voyagers, she really only knew about their jobs and basic personalities. What were their backgrounds? Did they have families? She was pretty sure Krillin mentioned having a kid...

Videl shook her head, deciding to focus on putting up her tent. Even after a month of camping out, she still had trouble getting it to stay up and not collapse on her in the middle of the night.

Just as she was about try for the fourth time to cross the... stick... things... Yamcha came over, snatching them out of her hands.

"I'm sorry, but this is painful to watch," he said, kneeling down to tie some rope. Videl tried to protest, but he waved her off. "I got it, I got it- you don't need a man's help. But spending a few months hiding in the desert makes one very adept at putting up tents." Within a minute, Yamcha had the whole thing set up. "Voila."

"... Thanks," Videl said as she stepped under the tarp. Yamcha gave her a smile as he went back to working on his own setup. "Sorry, I thought I could do it. I mean, Mr. Piccolo took me camping a few times, so..."

Krillin poked his head out of his tent, removing his work cap. "You were his apprentice, right? How'd you manage to land that? I mean, I talked to him on the trip to Iceland, and he seemed a little... stiff." He paused. "I mean, no disrespect to him-"

"It's okay," Videl interrupted, lying on her mat on her stomach. "He seemed that way to me too, at first. As for how I came to work with him, well..." She swallowed a bit. "My dad died when I was eleven. He was the only family I had, but a... colleague of his arranged for me to live with Mr. Piccolo. He was older and had no children, so I guess he was deemed the best choice to put up with a little girl. One day, I found some of his research about Vegetasei, and I thought it was really interesting." Videl chuckled a bit. "When I asked him to tell me more about it, at first he thought I was making fun of him. But when I wanted to learn everything he knew... that was the first time I ever saw him smile."

Blue Launch walked by Videl's tent, in her pajamas and clutching a teddy bear. "That is so _cute_!"

Krillin stared at the geologist. "Aren't you kind of old to have a stuffed animal, Launch?"

Launch hugged the bear tighter. "It's perfectly normal to be in touch with your inner child."

"Speaking of kids," Videl started. "Didn't you mention having one, Krillin?"

Krillin beamed. "Sure do." He reached into a bag and tossed Videl a photograph. It showed Krillin sitting on a bed next to a tall blond woman with cold eyes.

Videl's eyebrows shot up. "This is your wife?"

"Yep," Krillin replied proudly. "First saw her at a suffrage rally. I knew it was love when she said I was one of the few men she'd vote for."

Videl scanned the photo again, seeing a tiny girl with yellow pigtails sitting under the blankets between the two adults. She was laughing, but looked very pale. "And this is..."

"My little girl, Marron." Krillin wore a smile, but his eyes seemed a little sad. "She's the reason I took this job in the first place. She's... well, she's been sick for a while, and between her medical bills and me having to bail my wife out of jail from time to time, it's hard to keep up."

Videl immediately felt sympathy for the small man. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

Krillin scratched his face, where his nose would have been. "I know so. It's easier to get engineering jobs when you're small enough to go where others can't." His little joke helped to break the serious mood that had occurred.

Roshi passed by wearing a long coat, a dirty magazine rolled up under his arm.

"You forget your pajamas, old man?" Videl teased.

"I sleep in my socks." He gave Videl a quick wink. " _Just_ my socks."

Videl sweatdropped for the second time that day.

As Roshi walked away, Tien tossed Videl a sleeping mask. "You're going to want that. He sleepwalks." He tossed another to Yamcha, who was settling under a blanket.

Videl considered the demolition man. "What about you, Yamcha? Got any part of your past you'd like to share?"

Yamcha pressed his lips together. "I'm a thief and I blow stuff up. The end."

Krillin reached over and snapped the mask on Yamcha's face. "C'mon, Yammy. Tell her the truth."

Yamcha shot the engineer a dirty look, before sighing. "I used to live in this old mining town in the west. We were a close community, and I was on the local baseball team. I worked in the mine to make ends meet, until one day, I accidentally set off some dynamite prematurely."

He shivered a bit. "You have no idea the thrill that goes through you, holding a live explosive in your hands." He shook his head, recovering from his little moment. "Anyway, the explosion caused a cave-in. No one got hurt, but we had to close down the mine. That was the town's main source of income, and, well, I felt bad for basically making it go bankrupt. So, I naturally came to the conclusion that stealing money for the town was the only thing I could do to redeem myself. Contradictory, I know, but it was all I could think of. Luckily, Mr. Katas found me before I was caught, and my work here is being considered 'community service.'" Yamcha flipped onto his stomach and buried his face into his pillow.

"Aaaand...?" Krillin encouraged.

Yamcha gave a big, muffled sigh before looking up, his face a bit red. "And once I've gotten the town back in good shape, I'm gonna start a business and get married."

Tien smirked a bit. "You know that'll require meeting someone right? Unless you're fine living alone with your cat."

"Leave Puar outta this!" Yamcha threw a pillow at the doctor, his face burning.

Videl laughed a bit, feeling some more affection for her fellow travelers. They really were interesting people.

The conversation was abruptly cut off by the sound of a machine gun going off. _BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!_

The group twisted around in surprise to see (a still blue) Launch blowing the smoke from the gun's barrel, marveling at the freshly-made, giant hole in the ground. "Good night everyone! Sweet dreams!" With that, she hopped into the hole, and the others could hear light snoring after a few moments.

Videl shook off her shock. "What's Launch's story?"

"You don't want to know." Tien pointed to the small man beside him. "Krillin, don't tell her. I shouldn't have told you, but I did." He turned back to Videl. "And I'm telling you, _you don't want to know_." He then picked up his lantern and blew out the flame, putting an end to the conversation.

* * *

Once all the lights had gone out among the camp, sleep overcame each and every member of the expedition. But little did they know, there were others present in the cavern, observing the camp from behind the giant drill. They wore giant masks, with fur lining that obscured most of their bodies. The largest of the small group picked up his weapon, crouching, as if preparing to strike.

" _Epézisan_ ," he growled. " _Metakomízo_." **[They survived. Move out.]**

* * *

 **Geez, this took forever.**

 **Describing the goings-on of the sub and the workers proved to be a challenge, but I think it came out well.**

 **I also wanted to clarify that I won't just make Roshi the "perverted old man"- he is a teacher, after all!**

 **Reviews are welcome!**


	5. Welcome to Vegetasei

**So by the time this actually goes up, it'll have been over a month since my last update. This kind of time lapse is likely to be a normal occurrence- schoolwork takes up a lot of time, as it seems.**

 **So here's the chapter I'm sure a good amount of you have been waiting for- hope it doesn't disappoint!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Atlantis. They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Welcome to Vegetasei**

* * *

Not a sound was made as members of the mysterious group dashed throughout the camp. A few observed the odd machines outside the tents, others picked up bags and went through their contents.

One of the smaller intruders did the latter, choosing a sack sitting next to two rows of tents. They pulled it open, throwing out a few useless items. A pointy metal thing? Probably a weapon. A big hat? Odd. A bunch of paper, what looked to be writing materials, and...

The person paused at the framed photo in their hand. It showed a little girl holding up a piece of paper covered in scribbles, and a tall man smirking beside her. Letting their fingers trace the girl's face, a somber mood filled the person's being. An excited, proud expression... that was certainly familiar.

Suddenly, a voice came from one of the tents, and every foreign individual in the camp's head snapped up.

"Where did I put it...? Oh, here."

The people immediately scattered, running back into hiding as the tent flap was pushed back.

* * *

Videl yawned again as she emerged from her tent, a flashlight in one hand, and a roll of toilet paper on a shovel in the other. She quietly tiptoed past her sleeping comrades, listening to their murmuring and snoring. That meant they were asleep. If they weren't, she certainly would've waited until later to use the bathroom.

Once she was a decent distance away from her friends, Videl set the toilet paper on a rock, and held the flashlight under her chin as she went to undo her belt. Unbeknownst to the linguist, the light from the flashlight swung around the expanse of the cavern... and straight into the overhead lantern. The soft glow coming from the structure began to intensify. One by one, glowing insects emerged from the lantern, flying down to the campsite below.

Videl was still struggling to undo her belt when one of the bugs buzzed near her ear. She swatted at it absentmindedly, which only served to agitate the other bugs. More flew around her and Videl finally looked up, dropping the flashlight onto the ground.

"What the-hey!" Videl's hand waved aimlessly around her head as she desperately tried to fend off her tiny attackers. She grabbed the shovel with the paper on it and swung it onto one of the insects, crushing it... and causing the paper to burst into flames.

"Holy- agh!" Videl hastily dropped the paper, and began stomping on it in an effort to put out the flames. Her attention was then caught by the sight of more bugs hovering around the camp, and a few settling onto the tops of tents. Just as with the paper, the tents began to smolder.

Videl slowly turned to the lantern, observing the giant swarm that flew out of the lantern. "Fire," she whispered.

The swarm charged into the camp, and Videl took a few steps back before breaking into a run. "Fire!" she yelled as she sprinted through the camp. " _Fire!_ "

As people began to rush out of their burning tents, a half-asleep Freeza stuck his head out of his still-intact one. "Ms. Satan, go _back_ to sleep before I-!" The commander cut himself off as his eyes widened at the sight before him.

The fire had spread quickly and everyone was rushing to either get away from the inferno or get close enough to douse it.

"Get some water on that fire!" Zarbon was shouting to the workers.

"It's a futile effort, Lieutenant!" Freeza called over. "We need to go _now!_ " He began directing workers and giving orders. "Everyone, get into the caves! Move it!"

They didn't need to be told twice. Workers piled into the various vehicles, and those who couldn't fit ran across the bridge.

Videl ran past the fire, trying to catch up with the moving vehicles. She saw that one was burning as it tried to cross the bridge.

"Videl, jump!" Videl saw Krillin reaching out towards her from the back of one of the trucks. She sped up and made a leap for the vehicle, grabbing onto Krillin's outstretched hand just as the burning rig behind her exploded.

Covering her head to protect against flying parts, Videl squeezed her eyes shut. "Dammit. _Dammit!_ " She pounded her fist into the floor. _How many more people are going to get hurt?!_

Krillin pulled the young woman into his arms, pressing her face into his shoulder. "Don't look," he muttered as he watched another explosion.

The cavern was shaking as the fire continued to spread, but the remaining people were getting close to the mouth of the cave. Just as the drill was nearing the end of the bridge, a violent eruption sounded from the back. **BOOOM!**

 _The oiler,_ Videl thought.

The final explosion shook the area with such force that the already crumbling lantern at the top of the cave came loose from the ceiling, crashing down onto the thin bridge, breaking it apart.

The explorers' trucks began to roll backwards as what was left of the bridge began to tilt downwards. The drill up front crashed into the cargo behind it, pushing them to the edge of the crumbling bridge. The weight caused the bridge to break off of the cave wall, sloping down into the pit that had surrounded the platform above.

Trucks began to slide down and roll, bumping into one another. The last thing Videl heard was the sound of her friends screaming before hitting something hard.

Then there was nothing but darkness.

* * *

"Sound off if you're not dead." Freeza struck a match as his order was met by groaning and general sounds of pain.

"I freaking _hate_ bugs," Yamcha muttered, wiping some dirt off his sweater.

Zarbon turned on one of the cars' headlights, brightening the pit significantly. All around people were sprawled out, and a couple of cars were completely wrecked. Yajirobe was helping Roshi out of a cargo truck.

"Tien!" Blue Launch ran over to the doctor as he kicked open the door to his totaled truck and stumbled out. "Are you alright?" She turned on the light attached to her cap and began examining his face.

Tien shook himself out of the geologist's grasp, wiping away some blood that ran down the side of his head. "I'm a doctor, I'd know if something was wrong." His stern tone softened a bit at Launch's frightened eyes. "I'm fine. Anyone need medical attention?" he called out to the rest of the group.

"Well, aside from totaling rigs 2 and 7, everyone's okay." Krillin surveyed the crash site with a flashlight. "And I think the digger will still run. Thank the good Lord we landed on something soft."

Launch ceased her fussing over Tien and crouched to analyze the piles of dust that the group had fallen onto. "Pumice ash. We're at the bottom of a dormant volcano." She sneezed as some ash got into her nose, reverting into Blond Launch. The other personality blinked, taking in the sight before her. " _W_ _hat the hell did you dumbasses do_?!"

Zarbon ignored the blonde's indignant cries as he readied a flare gun and shot it towards the top of the volcanic tube. The smoky trail made its way up, up...

"It just keeps going," the lieutenant observed.

"That could be our ticket outta here," Roshi added.

The flare exploded as it reached the top of the tube.

"Dangit."

A now-informed Blond Launch pushed past the other bewildered workers to get a better look at the top of the volcano. "Seems that the magma solidified in the bowels of the volcano, effectively blocking the exit."

"I get the same problem when I eat too many beans," Yajirobe declared.

"Wait," Tien interrupted. "Are you saying this whole volcano can blow at any time?"

"Of course not, you idiot." Launch rolled her eyes. "It would take an explosive force of an extreme magnitude to pull that off."

A springing sound was heard, and the group turned to see Yamcha fiddling with what looked to be a bomb attached to a clock. Feeling the others' eyes on him, he looked up to their exasperated faces, back down to his bomb, then back at the group. "Maybe I should do this later, huh?"

Freeza smoothed back his hair as he pondered. "If we could blow the top off of that thing, it'd be a straight shot to the surface. What do you think, Ms. Satan?"

No response was heard.

"Ms. Satan?" Everyone looked around with their flashlights, but no linguist was seen.

"Videl?!" Krillin shouted. "Where are you?!"

* * *

Videl breathed hard as she lay sprawled against a rock some distance away from the crash site. A gash that ran from her shoulder to her collarbone bled freely, dripping down her arm. Her eyes fluttered a bit when she felt something poking at her face. She slowly opened them...

...and came face-to-face with a giant mask.

Videl gasped, backing up as much as she could against the rock with her aching body. Surrounding her were multiple figures wearing big, furry masks that hid the majority of their bodies. Every one of them held a spear, and they crouched around her. A big one stood in the back.

" _Eínai énas apó tous eisvoleís_ ," the big one growled in a deep voice. " _Tha prépei na tin skotósei tóra kai na sósoume tous eaftoús mas apó ton kópo argótera."_

" _Aftó den eínai i apófasí sas na kánete, Raditz._ " A smaller figure moved a little closer to Videl, as if intrigued.

" _Exállou, den eínai dikí sas, agóri_!" the big one yelled, startling Videl.

 _I gotta get away, I have-_ Her escape attempt was thwarted by pain blossoming in her shoulder. She winced as she clutched the wound, blood still running down her arm. _This feels bad. Where's Tien when you need him...?_

The smaller figure peered a little closer to Videl, who was examining her injury. Slowly, he reached up and lifted the mask obscuring his face.

Videl looked up... and found herself unable to speak.

This person was most definitely human, or at least human-looking. He had spiky black hair that seemed to defy gravity, save for a single bang. There were two lines and a dot tattooed beneath his left eye, and a circular pattern on his left shoulder. He wore an armored plate strapped to his other shoulder around his bare, muscular chest, with armored bands around his wrists. The only other clothing he wore were earrings, what looked like a layered sarong on his lower half, and a necklace that had a glowing crystal attached to it.

His most striking feature, though, was his eyes. Black and young, filled with intelligence, curiosity... but at the same time... it was like a storm was brewing in those eyes.

Videl was so distracted that she didn't notice the young man getting closer to her until he was reaching for the strap of her tank top.

She blinked in shock and smacked his hand away. "How _dare_...! _"_ Videl reared her hand back to strike the man across his face, only for it to be caught in his grasp.

" _Gohan!_ " one of the other strangers shouted, but the man held up a placating hand.

Videl watched as he backed up a bit, as if trying to give her space. He still held her hand, and, slowly, he guided it to touch her own wound. Videl hissed at the contact, and the man nodded as he released her hand.

 _He wants to help...?_ Videl thought.

The man reached forward again to pull down on Videl's shirt, and she let him, albeit warily. Fortunately, he only pulled it down enough to look at the gash. In his other hand, he took hold of his crystal, hovering it over the injury. He then quickly pulled it away, pressing his hand onto the bloody area, and making Videl cry out.

"Agh-!" Videl bit down on her cry. _No, don't look weak. I don't know what he's going to do..._

The man pursed his lips as he focused, then removed his hand. A glowing handprint was left on Videl's skin, and as it faded, Videl felt the pain in her body cease. She furrowed her eyebrows as she wiped some blood off her shoulder- the gash was completely gone... healed.

She turned to the man with wonder. He was smiling, as if pleased. With black eyes shining, the man pulled down on his mask, once again concealing his face.

A crunching sound rang throughout the cavern, and the strangers' bodies stiffened.

Videl turned to see the drill slowly making its way over a pile of rocks. She turned to look back at the group, only to find them scattering, running away from the odd device.

"Wait! Wait a minute!" Videl scrambled to her feet and dashed after the masked people. If they were who she thought they were, she couldn't let this chance (literally) run away from her!

Videl jumped over a few boulders, climbed up some rock formations, and slid down a few steep slopes, the whole time keeping the strangers in her sights. They sure were agile- a lot faster than her. Videl could distantly hear the drill behind her continuing its path, but that wasn't her concern at the moment. Curiosity always did rule over safety, as unwise as it was.

Videl came to what looked like a big crack in a stone wall. She squeezed through the crevice, almost falling once she was out. Videl looked around, trying to spot the group. The new area was certainly more floral; fog lurked about everywhere in the open area, and grass covered what looked to be a cliff jutting out of the cave.

 _If I hadn't seen snow earlier, I'd wonder how there could possibly be any plant life down here_ , Videl thought. She jogged to the edge of the cliff, head turning this way and that- but there was no sign of any people.

Videl cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hey! HEY!" She took a deep breath. " _WHO ARE YOU_?!"

A wind blew, and come of the fog cleared from around the cliff. The sight revealed caused Videl's eyes to widen and her mouth to clamp shut.

A _crack!_ sounded behind the linguist, and the drill came crashing through the wall of stone.

A few people came out from behind the drill as Launch jumped down from the driver's seat. "Videl! You had us worried, you dumb-" The geologist lost her words as she joined the other workers in staring beyond the cliff, dumbfounded.

The mist in the air was revealed to be coming from an enormous, circular waterfall. A few clouds wisped around the giant pool of water, making it look as if the cascading water was defying gravity. Rocks lined the edge of the waterfall, and, just barely visible from where the explorers stood, an island sat in the middle of the sea of water.

The sight was breathtaking, and for a few moments, no dared to say a word in fear of ruining the magical mood that had descended upon the group.

Videl had her hands clasped over her heart, a huge smile on her face. This was it. It _had_ to be! There was no way it wasn't!

They'd actually found Vegetasei.

And it was _alive._

Yajirobe, fittingly, broke the silence. "Uh... are we a hundred percent sure we didn't die back there?"

Krillin gave out a small, wonder-filled laugh. "This is the greatest thing I've ever seen."

Videl was shaken out of her stupor by Tien setting a hand on her shoulder, examining the remaining traces of blood. "You alright?"

Videl nodded, not trusting herself to speak at the moment. Tien gave her a rare smile. "I have to hand it to you, Videl. You really came through here."

Freeza moved forward from the back of the workers' group, Zarbon at his side. "And I am inclined to agree, Ms. Satan." For once, the commander didn't sound condescending.

Videl gave out a slightly giddy breath. She was about to respond, when she caught something dark flash across her peripheral vision. She turned to look behind her, and saw that the bizarre people from earlier had returned- and this time, they didn't seem too friendly. Their weapons were out, and they quickly confronted the travelers, pushing them to the edge of the cliff.

Yamcha gave out a small groan. "I knew our luck was bound to run out."

Zarbon reached for the gun strapped to his side. "Who are these people?"

Videl placed a hand on the lieutenant's arm, hoping to prevent any rash decisions. "Wait, it's alright! I-I think they're Saiyans!"

"That's impossible!" Zarbon argued. "How could Saiyans survive down here for thousands of years?"

"Well, I guess that's another thing we're here to find out, hmm?" Videl shot back.

The large, loud one from before began to step forward, but a smaller man- Videl recognized the mask as the one who had helped her- held out a hand, and seemed to give the big one a look. The latter growled before leveling his spear and stepping back.

The young Saiyan turned to the group, holding his spear like a staff. " _Poios eíste xénoi kai poú érchesai_?"

Every single explorer looked downright befuddled at the outlandish language, save for Videl, who looked thoughtful.

 _Alright, that sounded like a question,_ she reasoned. _There was a "who" in there... and I think a "where"... ugh, it's so much easier to read languages than listen to them!_

" _Poios eíste xénoi kai poú érchesai_?" the Saiyan spoke a bit more forcefully, as if impatient.

 _Oh, thank you for repeating yourself_ , Videl thought gratefully. _Who... are we... and where from?_

Videl stepped forward, speaking slowly and in her regular accent. " _Poios ... eísai ... kai apó poú_?" **[Who... are _you_... and from where?]**

The Saiyan reached up and completely removed his mask, handing it and his spear to the others behind him.

Launch let out a whistle of appreciation from behind Videl. "Not bad, Tarzan." Videl gave her an exasperated look.

The man turned back to Videl with those dark eyes of his, now looking more surprised than ever. " _Boreíte miloún ti glóssa mas? Den eínai kalá, allá boreíte na milísete_?"

Videl frowned. She was pretty sure he made a comment on her language skills, which was pretty insulting to one who prided herself as a _freaking linguist_. She'd set him straight on that later.

" _Egó... eímai_..." Videl struggled to find the right words. How could she explain? "... _Taxídia... fílo_!" **[I... am... travel.. friend!]**

The Saiyans looked at one another like the girl in front of them was crazy. Videl sweatdropped. Was she really that bad?

The man scratched his face as he thought, then his eyes lit up. " _Prospatheíte na poúme óti eínai éna filikó taxidióti_?"

Amazingly, Videl caught every word. _Am I a friendly traveler?_ Videl nodded eagerly.

Now feeling a bit playful, and wanting to test a theory, she switched to another language. " _Ita, sum amice viator_." **[Yes, I am a friendly traveler.]**

To Videl's joy, the Saiyan also switched to Latin. " _Dices linguam Romae_!"

 _Damn right I can speak "Roman." Maybe one more..._

Videl went for a classic. " _Parlez-vous français_?"

The Saiyan broke into a grin as he crossed his arms. " _Oui, mademoiselle_."

Throughout the entirety of this exchange, Videl's fellow explorers watched with mouths agape as she conversed with the foreign individual. At the French, Launch pushed past Videl. "Ah, I know this one. Lemme try." She approached the young man, beckoning him forward.

"Alright, good-looking. _Voulez-vous_..." Launch leaned forward and whispered the rest into the intrigued Saiyan's ear. His eyes widened in shock, and before anyone knew it, he was judo-flipping Launch over his shoulder.

No one stepped forward to help her. She could take care of herself... and they figured she had it coming just this once.

Launch, slightly dazed, gave the startled young man above her a goofy grin. "I'll take that as a 'maybe.'"

The man blinked, and shook his head with a smile. He turned to the rest of the Saiyans behind him, and gestured toward the group.

The other Saiyans removed their masks, revealing themselves to be similar to the younger one. Wild black hair, dark eyes, and fit builds. There were even a few women among the supposed warriors, and every one of them wore a glowing crystal necklace.

They began to greet the explorers, shaking hands and showing off their language skills.

" _Buenos días_!"

" _Konichiwa_!"

" _Nǐ hǎo_!"

Although still a little bewildered, everyone began to relax as they returned the salutations. Tien helped Launch up from her daze.

"How do they know so many languages, kid?" Roshi asked Videl.

"I've had this theory that their language is based on a root dialect. Like the Tower of Babel, you know?" She watched as the young man spoke with the largest Saiyan. He had ridiculously long hair and was significantly more muscular than any of the other members of the race. He looked disgruntled, scanning Videl's friends with distrust.

 _Well, it's a good thing we have nothing to hide_ , Videl thought smugly.

Freeza cleared his throat. "I'm going to assume that English is in there somewhere." He raised his voice to address the Saiyans. "We are explorers from the outside world. We come in peace."

The young Saiyan grinned as he gestured toward the waterfall behind him. "Welcome to the city of Vegetasei."

Goosebumps ran up and down Videl's arms. Whether it was from finding the city or hearing the man speak English for the first time, she wasn't sure.

He held a hand out to Videl. "Come. You must speak with the king now."

Freeza put himself between the two. " _I_ am the leader of this expedition, my good sir. Not her. So you may tell _me_ anything we need to know."

The young man frowned. "I assume your hearing is intact, yes? You must speak with the king now."

Freeza blinked, and Videl swore she almost saw an embarrassed blush on the commander's face. "Yes, of course." He turned back to the workers. "Squad B, return to the shaft. Salvage any materials that you can. We will rendezvous in twenty-four hours."

At the sounds of "yessir!", the explorers broke into the two groups- the one leaving consisted of Videl, Freeza, Zarbon, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, Launch, Roshi, and Yajirobe. It seemed that the big guy would only allow a small group into the city.

The travelers piled into their remaining vehicles (they had to leave the drill behind, despite Launch's protests) and followed the Saiyans to a thin wooden bridge. It creaked and groaned under the trucks' weight, but held as they crossed over the gap.

Videl peered over the rope railing. The waterfall met a giant moat of lava. She gulped, choosing to turn her focus to the ruined buildings around her as they came onto the island.

 _The city is certainly alive... but it looks like it wasn't without some hardships._ Videl's gaze went to the young man, who was leading the trucks along a path past the ruins. She thought back to the cave, when he'd taken her hand... healed her wound. She still wasn't sure how he'd done that.

 _I'll have to ask him later._ She tucked a bit of her short hair behind her ear. _And thank him. Later._

In the midst of Videl's thoughts, she didn't overhear Zarbon and Freeza's hushed conversation beside her.

The former tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "Sir... there weren't supposed to be people down here."

Freeza gave his lieutenant a sideways glance. "There wasn't supposed to be monsters and mayhem either, but we managed."

"You know what I mean. This changes everything-"

"This changes absolutely _nothing_ ," Freeza cut his lieutenant off. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Zarbon sighed, and turned back to his driving.

"Of course not, Commander."

* * *

The trucks eventually stopped at a large building near the base of the mountain on the island. It was very open, not too different from Roman structures. As the explorers were led into the building, huge doors opened revealing a room with a large pool of water that had stepping stones set in a few different patterns. On the other side of the pool was the remains of a statue; in front of it, a small throne with cloth over it, kind of like a tent.

"Man, these guys _really_ like water, don't they?" Yamcha muttered. Everyone shushed him.

There were guards strewn about the room, and for good reason- the presumed king sat at the throne.

Videl gave the king a once-over. Like the others, he had markings tattooed on his face and chest. He wore a thin, sleeveless robe over his bare chest (Saiyans sure did like showing skin) and his own sarong. Around his head was a golden band, gold bands around his wrist, and, of course, a glowing crystal necklace. Videl supposed he had a handsome face, but it was hard and had a stern expression. And although it was hard to tell since he was sitting, he looked barely taller than her, despite his strong build. Videl also found his hair to be the strangest out of everyone's; going up like a flame, and coming down into a widow's peak.

The young Saiyan crossed the pool on the stepping stones and proceeded to bow at the waist to the king. Videl followed his lead, bowing in respect. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that she was the only one doing so.

The young man straightened, and saw that he was about to speak. Videl quickly got out her notebook, hoping to translate what the Saiyans were saying as they spoke. It'd be good practice!

" _Chairetismoús, Ypsilótate. Xéro óti aftó eínai_ -" **[Greetings, your Highness. I know this is-]**

The young man was cut off by the king's deep, growly voice. " _Min mou dósei 'Ypsilótitas sas!' Ékana safés óti eprókeito na ascholitheí me tous eisvoleís , den tha tous kalései píso stin katadikasméni póli_!" **[Do not give me "your Highness!" I made it very clear that you were to deal with the intruders, not invite them back to the damned city!]**

Videl grimaced. Seemed that the king was not a big fan of outsiders.

"Vegeta," the young Saiyan spoke in a gentle voice. " _Lypámai, allá den eícha kaló lógo gia na tous férei_." **[I'm sorry, but I had good reason to bring them.]**

The king- _Vegeta_ , Videl guessed- made a _tch_ sound. " _Diorthóste me an káno láthos, Gohan, allá tha energoún chorís sképsi sas échei párei sto próvlima prin_." **[Correct me if I'm wrong, Gohan, but you acting without thinking has gotten you into trouble before.]**

Videl paused in her writing. _Gohan._ The other warriors had called him that back in the cave. It didn't really sound like an official title or anything, so maybe it was the man's name?

'Gohan' gritted his teeth. " _Egó písteva óti aftó mésa. Pistévo óti aftoí oi ánthropoi boreí na eínai se thési na mas voithísei_." **[I _did_ think this through. I believe that these people may be able to help us.]**

" _Den chreiazómaste ti voítheiá tous_." Gohan opened his mouth to speak again, but Vegeta held up his hand, silencing him. " _Tha syzitísoume_ _aftó_ _\- kai tekmíria- sas argótera_." **[We do not need their help. We will discuss this- and your presumptions- later.]**

Videl furrowed her eyebrows. This didn't sound good.

"I am so confused right now," Krillin whispered to the rest of the travelers.

"I'd say it's time we were acknowledged," Freeza agreed. He stepped forward to address the king. "Your _Majesty_ , on the behalf of my crew, let me say that it is an honor to be welcomed into this fine city."

Videl tried to intercept the commander as he walked past her. "Uh, Commander, he actually-"

But Vegeta beat her to the punch. " _Welcome_ you," he smirked. The king leaned forward in his seat. "That is hardly what I am doing. You come waltzing into my city with your clunky machines and odd fashions, expecting to be greeted without suspicion? That makes for an unwise leader."

Freeza's eye twitched. "Perhaps you are right. However, we mean you and your people no harm. We have traveled a long way-"

"I could not care less how far you have traveled," the king scoffed.

"Well, it was a _long way_ ," Freeza repeated. "We would not have risked our lives to come here seeking to hurt anyone."

"Oh no," Vegeta agreed as he stood. "I know exactly what it is you seek. And you will not find it here. This has all been a mere waste of time, especially mine."

 _You know, if he weren't talking to Freeza, I'd call this guy a jerk_ , Videl thought.

Gohan averted his eyes from the others, disappointment slowly etching onto his face.

"I can assure you that we are peaceful explorers. Men of science and research," Freeza explained.

Vegeta chuckled as he crossed his muscular arms. "And yet you arm yourselves with weapons." He nodded his head towards the gun at Freeza's side.

"With all due respect, you are not one to talk." Freeza gestured at the multiple guards armed with spears. "They serve as protection, to remove any obstacles we may encounter."

"Is that right?" Vegeta walked down the steps, past Gohan, and came toward the explorers with a dark look in his eye. "Then tell me, 'Commander...'"

He stopped a few feet in front of Freeza, standing just slightly taller than the pale man. "Do you consider _me_ an obstacle?"

Freeza's eyes narrowed, and Videl was almost afraid to hear his answer.

"Alright, that's enough!"

Everyone in the room turned towards the throne to see a woman emerge from behind the structure.

Videl's eyes popped out of her head. This woman did _not_ look like a Saiyan. She had pale, fair skin, with wide blue eyes. Her hair matched her eyes, and unlike the wild Saiyans' hair, was straight and fell barely past her shoulders. She also wore a sleeveless robe, a white dress, and had a tattoo shaped like a 'C' on her shoulder and a crystal. Videl could also tell that this woman wasn't a warrior- she had a petite build, though it looked like she had an inch or two on the king.

The golden band around her head confirmed her identity to Videl.

The woman strode past Gohan and walked right up to Vegeta. "Vegeta, don't you think you're being a bit unreasonable?"

Yamcha hummed. "Now _there's_ a sight I can appreciate."

Videl jabbed him in the ribs. "I'm pretty sure that's the king's wife, you moron!" she hissed.

Vegeta, unaware of someone eyeballing his queen, turned to face her. "I thought I told you to stay in the other room."

"I'm hardly in any danger. I believe that they're friendly," the queen replied. "You're always so worried that we'll get attacked, but then rave on about how powerful Vegetasei's defense is. You're contradicting yourself here."

"Bulma-"

"Don't start!" 'Bulma' interrupted. "There hasn't been anyone new around here in years! Don't you think having a little excitement will bring up everyone's spirits a bit?"

As Videl wondered what Bulma meant by that, Freeza cleared his throat. "How about a compromise, your Highness? You allow us to stay for a limited amount of time, to restock our supplies and rest for the journey home. During which, we can learn about your culture, but not enough to be a threat."

Vegeta looked like he wanted to refuse, but Bulma put a hand on his shoulder. "Just one day, Vegeta." She leaned forward, pressing her face into the crook of Vegeta's neck. "Please?"

Vegeta stiffened, and Videl saw his face redden. He looked like he was struggling to talk.

"Whipped," Roshi muttered.

" _So_ whipped," Yajirobe concurred.

Bulma lifted her head and gave her husband a smile. Vegeta collected himself, letting out a harsh sigh from his nose. "One day. I expect you all gone by tomorrow night."

Videl nearly jumped for joy. They could stay, kind of! She could learn all she could for Mr. Piccolo!

"Now get the hell out of my palace."

* * *

Gohan watched as the visitors were led out of the throne room. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"You have gone soft, Gohan," he heard Vegeta say. "A thousand years ago, you would have slain those outsiders on sight."

Gohan scowled. He didn't like being reminded of the past. "I had issues back then. You know that." He turned to see Vegeta once again sitting on his throne, Bulma resting her head on top of his and she toyed with his hair.

"Even so. It is foolish to trust them," the king retorted.

"You want to talk about what's foolish?" Gohan shot back. "It is foolish to think that our people can survive in dark streets while we scavenge for food at the edge of a crumbling city!"

"Gohan," Bulma warned. "Watch your temper."

The young Saiyan took a deep breath. "Vegeta, you can't possibly think that living this way is acceptable. We were once a great society, but now?" He clenched his fist. "We live in a city of ruins."

Vegeta's hard expression loosened. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees tiredly. "You know I'm doing the best that I can. I accepted a long time ago that I will never be as great a king as Kakarot."

A voice spoke up. "Psh. Everyone knows that."

" _Raditz_ ," the king cautioned.

From the guards stationed throughout the room, the large Saiyan from before stepped forward. "The only reason the people are content is because they figure life is as good as it will get. At least, as good as it can be under _your_ rule."

"At least he's a better ruler than _you_ would have been," Bulma retaliated. "What was your idea again? To try and _push_ the city back to the surface?"

"There was logical reasoning behind that!" Raditz asserted.

"Sure there was."

"I don't care who rules this city," Gohan muttered, "but something needs to change. Our way of life is dying."

"Our way of life is preserved," Vegeta said. "Had you taken the throne, you would have understood." He stood and walked over to Gohan, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm asking you to trust me. Not them. Can you do that?"

Gohan bit his lip, but then nodded. "Okay."

* * *

"So, that went well," Krillin said.

The group had gathered outside the palace to talk. Tien crossed his arms as he leaned against a pillar. "That's one way of putting it."

"Ms. Satan, what did you get from the king and the kid's conversation?" Zarbon queried.

"I think his name is Gohan," Videl corrected. "From what I can tell, he seems to like us just fine. Kept saying that we could 'help' them somehow. Of course, the king is totally against it. I think he's hiding something."

"Anyone could figure that out," Freeza remarked. "But if he is hiding something, I want to know what it is."

Yamcha laughed. "What, are you gonna go _ask_ him? He was two seconds away from biting your head off, Commander."

"I'd rather we referred to a different source," Freeza growled. "The boy seems much more agreeable."

"It would be better if we didn't all ambush him, though," Krillin added. "Someone should go talk to him, alone."

Launch's hand shot up. "I'll go!"

"Someone with good people skills," Yajirobe said.

"I'm your girl!"

"Someone who won't scare him away," Tien continued.

"I volunteer!"

"Someone who can speak the language," Roshi concluded.

"For the good of the mission, I will sacrifice myself!" Launch saluted.

"Good, we're all in agreement," Freeza nodded. "Ms. Satan will go."

Videl looked up from the Shepard's Journal. "Say what?"

" _Hey!_ " Launch yelled indignantly. She pulled out her gun. "Do _not_ ignore-"

Tien reached from behind the blonde, put his hand on her forehead, and pulled her into his chest. "C'mon," he said as he proceeded to drag the shocked girl away.

Krillin bumped Videl playfully. "Go get 'im, hon," he encouraged.

Videl was left sputtering as her friends walked off to go explore the city.

... _Have they all been talking to Erasa?!_

* * *

Videl rubbed her hands together as she waited behind a pillar for Gohan to exit the palace.

This was one of those moments that Videl wished she was more like Mr. Piccolo. He'd never really had any trouble talking to people, getting information. He'd had an overall intimidating demeanor and always spoke with confidence. She'd have to try and emulate that.

Videl heard the doors open and she peeked around the pillar. Gohan was shutting the doors, and he paused. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against the stone surface. He seemed upset.

Videl winced. She really hoped he wasn't; otherwise, she'd be a jerk for trying to interrogate him. Especially since he'd helped her out earlier.

After taking a moment to steel herself, Videl rounded the corner and hastily made her way towards the young Saiyan, who had just started to turn around.

As soon as he'd turned, Videl threw all her weight into the taller man, making him stumble back into the door. She pressed her forearm into his chest and covered his mouth with her hand.

Videl's determined eyes met Gohan's surprised ones. "I have some questions for you and I am _not_ leaving this city until they're answered."

Videl was pretty sure this guy was a lot stronger than her, so the fact that he was allowing her show of force intrigued her. She felt him smile under hand, and she slowly removed it.

Gohan was laughing. "I was literally _planning_ to ask you the same thing."

Videl blinked. _That's_ what he'd been doing against the door? He'd been _rehearsing_ what he was going to say?

Well then.

Videl released Gohan, and he took her hand. "Follow me."

Gohan proceeded to lead Videl a ways past the palace and to a bunch of broken statues. As he slid down a large one to the ground below, Videl asked, "Why do we have to hide?"

Gohan shrugged as he watched her join him. "The king would rather I didn't converse with any of you. I'd rather I did."

Videl landed in a crouch. "Why's that?"

She straightened and saw that Gohan had adopted a rather eager expression. "There is so much I'd like to know about your world."

Videl was surprised to hear that. To be honest, she thought he'd ask why they had come down here in the first place. But then again, she had the same reason for coming to Vegetasei.

"Based on your linguistic knowledge and your studious expression while I spoke with the king, you are a scholar, yes?" At Videl's nod, he brought a hand to his chin. "Though to be honest, I thought you were something else, initially."

Videl felt her irritation rising. Great, another man who expected her to be a housewife or something. "And _what_ , exactly, did you think I was?"

Gohan waved a hand at her body. "Judging from your toned physique and the way you managed to keep up with us back in the caves, I thought you were a warrior of some kind."

Videl's eyes widened. That was the first time _anyone's_ first impression of her wasn't as some weak, doting girl. And to be honest, he wasn't completely wrong- she _had_ learned from her dad, after all. Videl smiled, inwardly, and she could feel her face heating up.

 _Keep it together, girl_.

So, instead of showing her happiness, Videl pointed an accusing finger at Gohan. "Who are you to be talking about _my body_?!"

Gohan held up his hands in defense. "I meant no offense to you. I'm sorry if it seemed that way."

Videl frowned. It was pretty hard to be mad at this guy. "Whatever. So, about our questions-"

"Great!" Gohan immediately began rambling off his questions. "What is your country of origin? When did the flood waters recede? Does everyone dress in such an odd manner? Are there any new technologies worth discussing? Have the people above-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Videl said. She brushed some hair out of her eyes. "I have questions too, remember? So about you ask a question, then me, then you, and... well, you get it."

Gohan calmed himself. "Alright. What is your level of education?"

Videl waved her hands a bit, contemplating an answer. "I went through schooling until I was about twenty-one. Then I went into private studying with a... mentor. Basically, I can speak and write a lot of languages, and I work as a cartographer on the side."

She looked up to see Gohan absolutely engrossed. "Twenty-one?" he asked. Videl nodded. "That is an impressive age to complete schooling!"

Videl didn't really think so, but who was she to argue? "Thank you. It's my turn now; how did you get here? Well, not you personally." She spread her arms wide. "How did all of _this_ get down here?"

Gohan's excited expression suddenly became sad. He tore his gaze from Videl and began to walk further down the path of broken statues, and Videl followed as he spoke. "It is said that... the gods became jealous of us. That they sent a great disaster to tear down our civilization, exiling us here." Gohan ran his hand across the markings on a wall. "I remember people shouting, running, praying, crying." His face became tight. "I remember... dropping something. A scroll. I stopped... and then..." He closed his eyes, as if physically pained by the memory.

Videl watched as Gohan sorted through his mind. She opened her mouth to say he could stop, but he opened his eyes. "After that, all I can remember is a bright light, like a star, floating above the city. My mother tells me that it called my father to it." He fingered the crystal tied around his neck. "I never saw him again."

Videl could sympathize with the Saiyan. "I'm sorry. I didn't..." She rubbed her neck. "I mean... I know how you feel. I lost my-"

She stopped.

Wait.

WAIT.

HE REMEMBERED WHAT?!

"Back up!" Videl made a rotating gesture with her fingers. "What the hell do you mean 'you _remember_?' Are you saying you were _there_ when Vegetasei sank?"

Her outburst seemed to shake Gohan out of his stupor, and he nodded, slightly amused.

"But... but that- you'd have to be... eighty-five... eighty-eight... hundred years old!"

"Yes," Gohan replied as if they were speaking about the weather.

"You. Almost nine thousand years old."

"Yes."

...

Well.

No wonder twenty-one seemed impressive to him.

"Well, uh... you look good for an old man," Videl joked weakly.

Gohan chuckled. "It is my turn now?"

Videl nodded, and he stepped forward. "How is it that you found your way down here?"

Videl felt like she was getting off light with these questions. "Well, I can tell you one thing, it wasn't easy. We almost died from a giant sea monster." She saw Gohan shift uneasily for a moment, but she thought nothing of it. She dug into her satchel and pulled out the Shepard's Journal. "We wouldn't have gotten anywhere without this."

Gohan took the book from her and quickly flipped it open to a random page. He stared at the pages that contained his language as Videl spoke. "Okay, second question. The legends say that you and your people have a power source of some kind-"

"You can understand this?" Gohan's voice was quiet.

"Yeah," Videl replied. "I'm a linguist, remember? It's kind of my job. Now, back to my question-"

Gohan stuck the open book, upside down, in Videl's face. "This. Right here, you can read this?!"

"Yes, yes!" Videl lowered the book out of her face. "I can read Saiyan, just like you." She was quite proud of this fact, and could understand Gohan's amazement.

Gohan's eyes lowered back to the book. He squinted, as if trying to decipher-

Oh.

Videl gingerly took the journal from Gohan. "You... can't, can you?"

Gohan shook his head. "No one can, not anymore. I was learning at the time of the Great Flood, but then we went under, and... well, it was deemed unimportant, considering our situation. Eventually, the knowledge just died out."

Videl took in his words. She couldn't imagine what it was like to lose the ability to understand a part of your own language.

Gohan smiled, albeit a bit glumly. "This makes you even more special than I thought."

Videl returned the smile. It felt good to be able to help a race. Maybe she could give Gohan a few pointers before they had to leave.

"Can you show me?"

Videl nodded at Gohan's request, flipping open the book to a page she had previously translated. "Alright, um... _Akolouthíste to stenó pérasma gia mia álli protáthlima. Ekeí tha vreíte tin pémpti deíkti_."

Gohan spoke as Videl read. "'Follow the narrow passage for another league. There you will find the fifth marker.'"

"Yeah, that's it!" Videl grinned. "How was my accent?"

"Very... rustic. Unrefined." Videl sweatdropped. "You also speak it through your nose."

Videl huffed as she stuffed the journal back into her bag. "Well, we can't _all_ have had pure Saiyan speech teachers."

Gohan laughed again. Videl found that she liked it better when he was smiling rather than looking pained. She'd have to be careful what she said around him.

Gohan reached down and took her hand. "Here. You showed me something, now I'll show you something." He led her a little farther down the path, before stopping in front of a blanket draped over something. Gohan whipped the blanket away, revealing...

Videl raised her eyebrows. "A... fish."

Gohan crossed his arms. "It's not _just_ a fish."

The fish in question was elongated, made out of stone. Videl walked around it, and saw a passenger seat in the middle of the creature.

" _Oh_ ," Videl said. "It's like some sort of vehicle!"

Gohan nodded as he crouched, inspecting the seat. "Yes. I've tried to start it, but no matter what I do, it will _not_ respond."

Videl observed the side of the vehicle. "Where did this dent come from?" It was pretty deep, and had a few cracks surrounding it.

"... I lost my temper the first time I tried," Gohan admitted sheepishly.

"Riiight," Videl replied. She leaned over Gohan's shoulder, and saw that there was an inscription in front of the seat.

She rubbed her hands together enthusiastically. "Looks like it's your lucky day, _mon ami_. Instructions with a translator!" She mumbled to herself as she read the passage. "'Place crystal into slot.'" Videl tapped an open slot above the inscription.

"I tried that." Gohan rested his head on his hand.

Videl continued reading. "'Gently place your hand on the inscription pad.'"

Gohan rubbed his eyes. "That as well."

Videl looked up. "Did you turn the crystal one-quarter turn back?"

"A few times, yes."

" _While_ your hand was on the inscription pad?"

Silence.

"How long have you been trying to get this thing to work?" Videl asked with a knowing smile.

Gohan gave her a look as he removed the crystal around his neck. Videl backed up as he placed his hand on the pad and turned the crystal into the slot.

A creaking sound emerged from the vehicle, and the pad began to glow. As Gohan removed his crystal, the eyes of the fish flared to life, and sure enough, the fish began to levitate.

" _Ti les tóra_..." Gohan looked as surprised as Videl.

"You got that right!" Videl began bouncing on the balls of her feet. "This is amazing! I mean- wow! I could see the whole city in no time at all with this thing!" She slapped the inscription pad with vigor.

The fish shot forward, bouncing off the walls and different statues in the area. It began to shoot towards the pair, and they barely managed to hit the dirt before it zoomed over them, crashing into another wall before exploding.

Videl looked up from covering her head. She glanced at Gohan, who looked comically devastated at the loss of his new vehicle.

Videl tapped her fingers against the floor for a moment, before turning to the Saiyan beside her. "Did I forget to mention that I don't know how to drive?"

Gohan just thunked his forehead on the ground.

* * *

 **Woohoo! Videl and Gohan meet!**

 **I wanted to have more interaction between the two, which is why I lengthened their scenes a little bit.**

 **So in this fic, the explorers will get to stay in Vegetasei a LIIIITTLE longer than in the movie. I need to build up relationships a bit more.**

 **The next chapter will pick up right where this one left off- and bring in some beloved characters! (Hint: They're kids :D). And I'll explain what's up with Bulma, don't worry.**

 **I'm also incorporating some character developments from the show- like Vegeta accepting his inferiority to Goku, and Gohan's anger problems. They'll come up again later :)**

 **I went ahead and wrote up the translations of what the Saiyans were saying before (where I didn't already translate them):**

 _ **Raditz: It is one of the intruders. We should kill her now and save ourselves the trouble later.**_

 _ **Gohan: That is not your decision to make, Raditz.**_

 _ **Raditz: Nor is it yours, boy!**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Gohan: Who are you and where are you from?**_

 _ **Videl: Who... are you... and from where?**_

 _ **Gohan: You speak our language? Not well, but you speak it?**_

 _ **Videl: I... am... travel... friend!**_

 _ **Gohan: Are you trying to say you are a friendly traveler?**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Gohan: Holy crap.**_

 _ **...**_

 **See you next chapter!**


	6. Sightseeing

**Summer is finally here, so I'll have more time to work on this fic! (Provided I don't procrastinate...)**

 **I also went and drew up some art accompanying the fic, which you can find here: goldenrose101-dot-deviantart-dot-com-slash-art/DBZ-Atlantis-AU-611069682 (Replace the "dots" and "slash" with what they say!)**

 **Oh! And SilverSnowflake9798 is doing their own DBZ/Atlantis AU! Go check it out!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Atlantis. They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Sightseeing**

* * *

"You'll be alright! Just don't look down!"

Videl looked over her shoulder to the ground plummeting below and felt her mouth become dry.

"I said _don't_ look down!" Gohan sounded exasperated.

Videl's eyes squeezed shut as she grabbed another handhold. "Sorry!"

After the disaster that was the fish vehicle, Gohan suggested another way to see the city all at once. He brought Videl to the base of one of the statues surrounding the city, then led the way as they slowly climbed up the titanic structure.

Videl felt herself get dizzy. Boats were bad enough; heights only seemed to make her nausea worse. It took every bit of Videl's willpower to not lose her breakfast in front of the young Saiyan.

In need of a distraction, she spoke as she continued her ascent. "Hey, so, we never really introduced ourselves, did we?" The linguist shook her head to clear her bangs whipping in the wind from her face. "My name's Videl! Videl Satan!"

Videl could make out a smile from her guide as he continued climbing. "My name is Son Gohan."

 _Son_ Gohan? "So... should I call you Son?" Videl asked.

"Son Gohan" chuckled as he heaved himself onto the top of the statue, then offered a hand down to Videl. "'Son' is my family's name. My given name is Gohan."

Oh, that made sense. Saiyans were even more diverse than she thought!

Videl playfully stuck her tongue out as she accepted Gohan's hand. "I think I can remember that."

She was pulled up onto the rock, and Videl quickly stood to take in the sight before her. Giant, fluffy clouds surrounded the city on all sides, and tall, bulking trees covered the majority of the ground. Marble and stone buildings were everywhere; some were crumbling, but Videl could vaguely make out hundreds of Saiyan people walking in and out of them. By the shore were large boats, where fishermen were bringing in their haul for the day. Skimming the surface of the water were large avian creatures, resembling a cross between birds and lizards.

After being told for years that her and Mr. Piccolo's work would never amount to anything, and then to have the worthy result right in front of her... it made tears well up in Videl's eyes.

She didn't realize that the tears flowed freely down her face until she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Videl? Are you alright?"

Videl gasped as she remembered to breathe. She turned to face Gohan, whose eyebrows were furrowed with worry. "What is wrong?"

The young woman quickly wiped her face, trying to hide any evidence that she'd been crying. "It's nothing. It's just... really windy up here."

Gohan didn't look like he bought it, and Videl suddenly felt compelled to share. "I just... I've believed in this place for a long time, ever since I was a kid. My mentor, the man who raised me... he told me stories about Vegetasei." Videl hugged her arms close. "I wish he was here with me, is all."

The pair was silent for a while, until a quiet voice said, "I know what you mean."

Videl's head shot up. She suddenly felt a little insensitive about how she had somewhat blown off Gohan's reveal about his father's death earlier. She opened her mouth to say something, but Gohan shook his head and gave her a slightly sad smile. "Come. Why don't I show you the rest of my home?"

* * *

After a long (and nauseating) climb down the statue, the duo went down to the shore to observe the boats as they brought in their day's catch. One of the fishermen waved down at the two, then threw down what looked like a dog-sized lobster. Videl watched as Gohan caught it... and then as the creature decided to wrap itself around his head, covering his face.

"So," he said in a muffled, unconcerned voice. "Where would you like to go next?"

"Um..." Videl saw his ears start to turn red. "Doesn't that hurt?" It looked like the lobster was starting to squeeze.

"Oh, immensely." Gohan's voice betrayed no pain. "Could you bite its neck for me?"

" _Bite_ its _neck_?" Videl frowned as she gave the lobster a once-over. Could she even bite it hard enough? "I'm not sure-"

"Oooh! Oooh! Let me do it!"

Videl turned to see two young Saiyan children with their own crystals running towards her from the water- well, _one_ of them looked Saiyan. The other slightly older-looking one had purple hair and light blue eyes similar to the queen.

 _Seriously, am I missing something?!_ Videl thought in frustration.

The younger of the kids proceeded to shimmy up Gohan's body and wrapped his legs around the warrior's arm. He then grabbed the lobster's head and chomped down into its neck. The crustacean shrieked, going limp as it fell to the sand. A now-free Gohan coughed and took a few deep breaths.

"You're silly, Gohan!" The wild-haired child swung from side to side as he held on to Gohan's neck. "You could've died just now!"

The other kid shivered slightly. "I wouldn't want to tell Chi-Chi that you'd died!"

Videl looked from Saiyan to Saiyan as realization dawned on her. "Gohan, is this little monkey your brother?" She poked at said monkey's sides, causing him to squeal and fall back into the sand, giggling.

Gohan wiped his forehead of sweat. "Yes. This is Goten, and his friend, Trunks."

Videl squatted down to be at eye level with the purple-haired boy. "'Trunks?' That's an odd name, even for a Saiyan."

Trunks crossed his arms in what Videl assumed was an attempt to look tough. "And you look shrimpy for a Saiyan." The child took in her comparatively smaller muscle definition.

A tick mark appeared at Videl's forehead. "Well, that's because I'm _not_ a Saiyan. I'm from outside the city."

Trunks's eyes grew wide. He turned to Gohan and pointed at the girl in awe.

The older Saiyan nodded. "She and some others from the surface have come to visit us."

"Really?!" Goten jumped to his feet. "That's amazing! Do you all wear such funny clothing?" He began tugging at Videl's pant legs.

Videl giggled as she grabbed Goten, bringing him up with her as she stood. "Yes, we do," she replied as she tickled him. "Some of us even wear big hats and poofy skirts for no reason at all!"

Trunks stilled looked incredulous. "They didn't get eaten by the Hirudegarn?!"

Videl looked up from her teasing of Goten. "Huh?"

Gohan kneeled down to be at Trunks's level, ignoring Videl's confusion. "Trunks, could you do me a favor and not tell your father about this? He doesn't want me conversing with any of the travelers."

Trunks closed his eyes and scratched his chin, as if deep in thought. He opened his eyes and looked pointedly at Gohan. "Only if _you_ don't tell him I was playing with them either."

"Oh, I am not sure about that. Seems too devious for me."

"Hey!"

Videl found herself laughing aloud as she set Goten down. "So, where was our next destination?"

Goten gasped as he clapped his hands together. "Our house! Mama will wanna meet her!"

Gohan scratched his face in contemplation before turning to Videl. "Would that be alright? My mother is an excellent cook; she'd love to have you and your comrades for dinner."

"You make it sound like she'd cook _me_ up," Videl joked.

"Only if you anger her," Trunks replied seriously.

Videl gulped. Gohan didn't make any attempt to ease her worries.

As the group began to walk through what looked like a market to find the other explorers, Gohan said, "Tell us about your companions. What are they like?"

Videl frowned as she thought; they _would_ meet them properly soon. "Well, most of the group stayed with our vehicles. Only nine of us actually came into the city. There's Freeza-"

"Freeze?" Trunks frowned. "Is he cold?"

"No, that's his name. I mean, _yeah_ , he's cold too, but, like, personality-wise."

"He's wise?" Goten swung from his brother's arm.

"No- well, maybe. If anything, the smartest one of us is probably Tien-"

"So he's cold too?" Trunks was on a roll.

"No! I mean, he's kind of stoic, but-"

"So he rhymes a lot?"

"That's a poet!" Videl was losing her patience.

Gohan was stifling his laughter. "I would give up if I were you, Videl. It's impossible to explain anything to them."

Even so, Videl continued to try and explain her comrades to the young boys as they picked them up one-by-one. They found Krillin and Yajirobe observing a few young warriors receiving tattoos (the latter trying to show off his own, and the former hastily telling him to put his shirt back on). Yamcha and Roshi were caught flirting with a few Saiyan women- or rather, failing to impress them with their lack of stature or any good quippage. Finally, Tien and Launch were found at an arm-wrestling contest, with the blond geologist going toe-to-toe with a pack of huge Saiyan fishermen, and the doctor looking over the losers' arms.

Videl sweatdropped. She hoped Gohan's mother could handle such a large group of people.

* * *

"You all have the _smallest_ appetites I have _ever_ seen!"

The group sat cross-legged at a large table full of the _strangest_ -looking food _they_ had ever seen. Ranging from sludge to cooked beasts with eyeballs, no one aside from the Saiyans seemed to eager to dig in. And Gohan's mother- or Chi-Chi, as she had insisted they call her- was having none of it.

Chi-Chi seemed a bit more refined compared to the other Saiyans the explorers had encountered. She tied her long, smooth black hair back in a neat ponytail and her skin was free of any scarring. But Videl compared the woman's physique to her own- fit and able to fight, just not overly utilized.

Chi-Chi's crystal swayed freely from around her neck as she placed yet another bowl of food onto the table. "If you don't hurry, the boys will shovel all this down themselves. They've done it before!" She let out a small groan. "Sometimes even _I_ have to be quick about it."

As his mother sat herself down at the table, Goten counted off the crew members on his fingers. "So Freeza is cold, but he doesn't need a blanket. Tien is smart, but doesn't write poems. You write, but you're still tough. Launch is tough and may hurt us. Yamcha won't hurt us, but stay out of his bag. Yajirobe can't cook, Roshi is some species of dog, Krillin is definitely human, and some man named Zarbon... he does nothing?"

Videl picked up a steaming bowl. "Close enough."

Gohan and Trunks's fervor in their eating seemed to encourage the others, and soon enough, everyone was (warily) beginning to indulge in the meal.

"Make sure you guys eat the eyes," Tien said as he bit down on one himself. "We're going to need as many nutrients as possible for the trip back."

Yamcha was having a staring contest with his meal, which was still moving. "If he blinks, I get to eat him. That's our deal."

Yajirobe sniffed his food. "I don't see any beans here. What kinda cook are you?"

Chi-Chi took a bite of some of the sludge. "You can just go hungry if you are that picky." That shut Yajirobe up.

Videl saw Launch carefully eating her food. She guarded her nose as Krillin added some sort of spice to his own dish.

"Hey, Launch," Videl called over, puzzled. "I haven't seen Blue Launch in a while. Feel like letting her out? I know she wants to see the city, too."

Launch's body went rigid, as if she had been caught in the act of something.

"We thought it be best not to have her do that in public," Krillin hurriedly jumped in. "Might spook some of the locals, you know?"

"Yeah, you know me," Launch muttered. "Always thinkin' of others."

Videl felt a little confused at how quiet Launch was being, but her thoughts were cut off by Gohan. "Trunks, where do your parents think you are? I do not want the royal guard to come bursting through the walls."

Videl choked on her food.

It took a few whacks on the back from Roshi, but the food dislodged itself from her throat. Once her coughing ceased, Videl said, in a scratchy voice, "Trunks you... your parents are the king and queen?"

Trunks nodded like it was no big deal. He then continued his game of creating a mountain of food with Goten.

Videl ran her hand through her hair in wonder. That serious, gruff king had such a playful kid?

Then again, they had about the same amount of sass in them.

Videl turned to Gohan, who had gotten her a cup of water. As she drank, she asked, "Why do Trunks and Bulma seem so different than regular Saiyans? Their coloring is all wrong."

Gohan waved his hands a bit, similar to how she had when they were asking questions earlier. "Back before our city sank, we would get visitors from the outside once in a while. We were rather isolated, so it was rare. But Bulma washed up on the beach as a teenager; she never said what happened, but I believe she and her family were traveling by boat and hit a storm."

"Oh no," was all Videl could think to say. She watched Trunks mess around with Goten as Gohan continued. "My father found her and brought her to the city. I think my grandfather was going to have her removed, but my father convinced him to let her stay. They became friends."

"And Vegeta?" Videl turned to the man at her side.

Gohan grinned. "She was the only one who ever had the nerve to stand up to him when he got mad. That's an admirable trait among Saiyans. For a non-Saiyan to do so... I believe that was the finishing blow for him."

Apparently the whole table was listening to the story, as Krillin interjected, "Ah, love. It'll tame even the biggest of beefheads." He paused. "No offense to your dad, kid."

"Nah, he can be really dumb sometimes," Trunks confirmed as he gave Goten a noogie. "But he's our strongest warrior, and always protects me and my mom, so that makes up for it!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Videl considered Gohan's words, before pausing. "Wait, Gohan," she started. " _Your_ grandfather would have kicked Bulma out?"

Gohan nodded.

"But wouldn't _Vegeta's_ dad or whatever do that? I mean, unless, your grandfather was king-"

"What the hell is going on in my house?!"

Every head in the room turned toward the front door, where a familiar figure stood.

"Oh, _this_ guy," Yamcha whispered nervously.

"Raditz," Chi-Chi sighed as she stood. "You are late for dinner."

"I was conversing with the _king_ ," Raditz shot back. He glared at Gohan. "And I believe he said that we were _not_ to interact with the outsiders."

Chi-Chi went around the table to the fuming man. "It is just dinner, Raditz. The king worries too much."

"And I highly doubt that you are mad because we are disobeying the king," Gohan murmured.

Raditz's furious face swiveled in Gohan's direction. "Watch your tongue boy, or I will _rip it out_."

"I would like to see you try!" Gohan began to stand.

Chi-Chi placed herself between the two men. "That is enough!" She turned to Raditz. "A word, please."

As the two adults went outside, Gohan trotted over to a nearby window and peeked out from behind a curtain, watching.

Tien looked uncomfortable. "Is she okay to be out there alone with him?"

Goten and Trunks were no longer playing. Instead, the former looked nervously at his brother. "I hope for his sake she is."

Launch ruffled the kid's hair. "Your brother protects your mom from the big, ugly guy?"

"When he can," Goten said. "It is not like he hurts her. He is just very loud... sometimes mean too."

The voices outside became louder, and Videl saw Gohan's hand clench around the curtain.

"What did he mean by 'his house?'" Roshi had his glasses lowered. It was the most serious that Videl had ever seen him.

Goten squirmed like he didn't want to answer.

"He is our uncle." Gohan's voice was heard, emotionless. "And our mother's husband."

"Gohan, you don't have to tell them anything," Trunks piped up.

"They leave tomorrow," Gohan replied as he finally turned away from the window. "Who would they tell?"

True.

Videl leaned forward. "I take it he married her after your dad...?"

Gohan sat himself back in his seat. "My mother was pregnant. I was a child. She had just lost her love... she needed help with the household, and thought _I_ needed some sort of father figure."

The table was hushed, as if someone had told everyone not to speak and just absorb the information. After a moment, Yamcha laced his fingers together and said what everyone was thinking. "Well, crap."

The door slammed open, and Raditz was red-faced. "Where is your leader?!"

Videl was so surprised by the question that it took her a minute to realize that she had no idea where Freeza and Zarbon were.

Impatient, Raditz snarled, "Idiots. I will find them myself." He brushed past Chi-Chi, who was standing in the doorway with a downcast expression.

Gohan stood and retreated stiffly to the back doorway. "I will be right back."

Videl almost went after him, but a tiny hand on her arm stopped her. She turned to see Goten looking up at her with big, innocent eyes. "Don't."

"Is he okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Goten said slowly. "Gohan is just scary when he's mad."

* * *

Raditz's search for the outsiders' leaders had led him to the edge of the city. He was still stewing from his argument with Chi-Chi.

 _"You only ever follow the king's orders when they are convenient for you, Raditz!" Chi-Chi crossed her arms in defiance towards her husband._

 _"As if you could blame me!" Raditz yelled. "That throne was supposed to be mine! It is bad enough that my father overlooked me for Kakarot! But then to have it taken away altogether...!" He turned away from his wife as he ground his fist into the wall. "You had no right to do that."_

 _"How many millennia do we have to argue about this?" Chi-Chi growled. "Even if I hadn't given Vegeta the throne, you would not have been next in line. I was not going to put that responsibility on a child."_

 _"Vegeta was the cause of our downfall!" Raditz argued. "How could you-"_

 _"Because he knows that. And he is doing everything in his power to make up for it. If I had let you take over, we all would have died long ago." Chi-Chi sighed. "You are not a leader, Raditz. You are not even a good father."_

 _Raditz stared at the woman for a long time, as if contemplating whether or not to strangle the life out of her. He towered over the woman menacingly. "Well, that was_ your _mistake, was it not?"_

 _Raditz turned his back on Chi-Chi as she lowered her chin to her chest. They both knew it was a mistake._

Raditz slid down a broken statue as he let his thoughts run wild. He had had just about enough of the disrespect this city gave him. He had married Chi-Chi out of a sense of duty to his brother, but he never loved her. Too shrill.

That and she had never let go of Go- of Kakarot.

And those _boys_ were even worse! Full of attitude and never giving him respect where it was due. The only reason Raditz had never risen his hand against them was because it was considered dishonorable in their society.

Sometimes he just wished that he could _leave_.

Raditz's ears perked up at the sound of voices coming from near the bridge across the lava moat.

"Sir, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to draw the line here."

Raditz stealthily moved behind a nearby tree, close to where he could see the two leaders of the outsiders... Freeza and Zarbon, yes? They were observing some of those strange vehicles beginning to cross the rickety bridge.

Raditz clenched his teeth, but did not act. They may just be bringing them to carry supplies. (If he was going to attack someone, he would get a valid reason first.)

Zarbon was pacing in front of his superior, looking distraught. "Sir, I won't claim to be a good person. I've made just as many selfish choices in my life as you. But what you're talking about here... this is _genocide._ "

"Oh please," Freeza rolled his eyes as he slicked his dark hair back. "We're not even completely certain of that. For all we know, this giant treasure is only that: a treasure."

"And you're willing to go to war with these people to get it."

"A war implies that both sides have an equal chance of winning, _Lieutenant_." Freeza said the final word in an ironic tone.

A vehicle pulled up to the duo and Freeza opened up the back. He reached into a box and pulled out what anyone else would identify as a large gun. "Besides, for all you know, our powers of... _persuasion_ could be strong enough to end this without any bloodshed."

Raditz grabbed a hold of his knife.

Zarbon's eyes were downcast before looking up to his commander with defiance. "I refuse to be a part of this, _Freeza_." He reached for the gun strapped to his side. "And I won't just let-"

The lieutenant was cut off by a knife appearing at his throat.

"So _this_ is your definition of 'coming in peace'?!" Raditz barked from behind Zarbon. "To lie and steal?!"

Every worker froze at the Saiyan's threat. Zarbon's eyes were wide, but he didn't dare move a muscle.

Freeza cocked an eyebrow. "Well, this is certainly unexpected. " His gun dangled loosely from his fingers.

"Get out!" Raditz yelled. "If you and the rest of your party do not leave immediately I will not hesitate to gouge this man's throat out!"

Zarbon's breath hitched as his hand slowly went to reach for his gun.

Freeza looked curious. "Worried for your people, is that it? You think you can protect them all with just one blade?"

Raditz scoffed. "Hardly. I only worry for myself." His hand tightened around the knife's hilt. "No one else in this city is worth saving."

Freeza's lips pulled back to reveal a cruel grin. "I like your style, my good sir." His hand snapped up and the gun went off.

Raditz didn't flinch as he wasn't sure what the gun was supposed to do, but he figured it out from Zarbon's cry of pain. His hostage stumbled from his grasp, falling to the ground and clutching his wounded hand. His own gun lay a few feet away.

"Freeza, you...!"

Zarbon was interrupted by Freeza's nonchalant tone towards the Saiyan."I just saved your life, in case you were wondering."

Raditz maintained his defensive stance as the commander continued. "You look like you're itching to kill something. By all means, go ahead." He gestured at Zarbon. "Consider it an olive branch."

"He is in no way a plant," Raditz replied humorlessly.

"I mean he's a peace offering."

Zarbon scrambled for his gun, but instead received a kick to the face from Raditz. He coughed and held his now-broken nose.

Freeza sat and watched Raditz as he closed in on his prey. "Once you're done with that," he said, "let's talk business."

* * *

 **Well, that got dark.**

 **So this is probably the shortest chapter so far (aside from the prologue), but it seemed like a good stopping point.**

 **As for why Zarbon is... ahem, in trouble, I'm going based off the original story notes my sister made. You'll see what happens!**

 **Anyway, like I said, some scenes will deviate from how the movie went, but if the fic were exactly like the movie, would it really be all that interesting?**

 **Hopefully, I should get the next chapter up soon!**


	7. Secrets

**Yeah, this sort of span between chapters is likely to be a regular occurrence. But compared to other fics, one month ain't that bad!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Atlantis. They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Secrets**

Videl awoke to a foot in her face.

After Gohan stormed out the previous evening, Chi-Chi had suggested that the group rest at her house, since they had a big day tomorrow. Videl had no desire to sleep in the same vicinity as Freeza and Zarbon (they would put a damper on her good mood), so she took the Saiyan woman up on her offer. Trunks went back to the palace, and the others went to go regroup with their leader. Videl thought they were crazy; they'd probably have to sleep in the trucks! But they had insisted (except Roshi, who they'd had to drag away from Chi-Chi, who Videl had had to keep from strangling the old pervert).

Gohan never returned, but Videl had fun playing with Goten. He told her all about his family, what it was like living in Vegetasei; he even showed her a few combat moves Gohan had apparently taught him. The duo ended up falling asleep in the sitting room, leading Videl to her current situation.

She slowly lifted her head to find Goten sleeping on her stomach, sprawled out with a blanket tangled around him (Chi-Chi must have put it on them before heading to bed herself).

Videl smiled to herself. She'd been an only child, but playing with Goten felt like she'd had her own younger brother. She would miss him when they left.

It was still dark outside, so Videl closed her eyes to try to go back to sleep. Just as she started to doze off again, she felt something shake her arm; a hand much too big to be Goten's.

Videl's eyes snapped open to find Gohan hovering over her. He looked a little disheveled, but much calmer than he had been when she'd last seen him.

"Gohan?" she whispered. "What time is-" The linguist was silenced by Gohan raising a finger to his lips as he gently removed Goten from Videl's stomach, resettling the blanket on the child.

Videl rubbed her eyes, trying to perk herself up a bit as she stood. She gave Gohan an inquisitive look, who responded with a motion to follow him outside.

Once they were a good few meters away from the house, Videl spoke up. "What's going on? Is something wrong?"

"No," Gohan responded. "But I need your help with something. It is very important."

Videl yawned. "Alright, alright. But I hope you have a flashlight or something, 'cause I can't see anything-"

Gohan cut her off again by thrusting a handmade paper lantern in her face. Upon closer inspection, Videl could see that the light emanated from fireflies. Specifically, the fireflies that had set the camp on fire.

Gohan frowned at Videl's grimace. "Is something the matter?"

"The last time I encountered these things, they tried to kill me," Videl answered simply.

Gohan chuckled as he began to lead the way. "To be fair, you tried to kill them first."

Videl thought that over, before pausing. "...Wait, you _saw that_?!"

"Hurry up!" Gohan called over his shoulder.

* * *

A while later, the two found themselves near the edge of the city, where the water lapped onto the stone floor, looking like a pool.

Videl smiled at the water as it glowed in the lantern's light. She watched as Gohan set the lantern against one of the broken walls.

"Y'know, Gohan," Videl started. "When we first came down here, we thought we'd find some broken pottery... crumbling buildings, at best." She squatted down to run her hand through the water. "But never did I think we'd find a living, _thriving_ society."

"We are hardly thriving," Gohan's confessed as he leaned against a broken pillar. "We live, that is true. But our culture is dying. Every year, a little more of us is worn away. First, our literacy. Next... who knows."

Videl turned. "How have you survived down here all this time, anyway?"

Gohan shrugged his shoulders. "We have the necessities, for the time being. Food and such. But I do not know how long that will last." He moved away from the pillar and towards Videl. "I am hoping that what I have to show you could help us. Maybe find a way to save my people."

Videl felt a swell of pride arise within her. She knew if cutting off her arm would help the city, she'd do it. Gohan didn't have to look so unsure while asking.

"I'm your girl," she said as she stood. "What do I need to do?"

"There is a mural here, with writing all around the pictures. I could never interpret it, but..." Gohan trailed off with a smile in her direction.

"Shouldn't be a problem." Videl walked over to the lantern and began shining it over different parts of the walls nearby. "So where exactly..." Videl looked over her shoulder and faltered.

Gohan was removing his shoulder plate as he waded into the water. "Do you know how to swim?"

Videl stared as he undid his belt, leaving him in only his wristbands, necklace, and sarong. He was only a little less covered than before, but Videl found herself admiring the young warrior's toned physique. _Get a grip, girl! He was already bare-chested when you met! Why are you just_ now...

Gohan ducked beneath the water, then came back up, water pouring down his body.

 _...Oh, that's why._

Gohan was wiping his face off. "Videl?"

Videl snapped herself out of her trance. "Swim! Yes! I can swim!" She reached down to pull off her boots, then set her bag next to them. She debated removing any other clothes, but ended up just rolling up her pant legs. A tank top wouldn't hinder her that much.

"Good," Gohan said as he slicked his wet hair out of his eyes. "It will take a while to get to our destination."

"Well, don't you worry." Videl grinned with confidence as she walked towards the water. "I was one of the best swimmers in my-" Videl's proud proclamation was ruined by her tripping on a rock and almost belly-flopping into the water. "Gyah!" she shrieked as her arms pinwheeled.

Gohan quickly swam over, and the young girl slammed into his chest. "I do not doubt that," he affirmed.

Videl stared at the Saiyan for a moment before realizing how intimate their position looked. She hastily removed herself from his grasp. "Well! We should get moving!" She dove into the cold water, only to immediately resurface.

Gohan looked at her knowingly as she wiped off her eyes. "Why don't you lead the way? I have no idea where we're going."

Gohan nodded. "Deep breath," he reminded her, and the two plunged into the dark water below.

* * *

Videl found that it was even darker beneath the water. They would have been swimming blind if not for Gohan's crystal providing a light source.

As they moved, Videl could make out the outlines of various structures; they mostly looked like sunken ships, with some buildings here and there. It struck Videl that Vegetasei may have a more tragic history to it then she thought before.

Videl's lungs felt like they were going to burst as Gohan led them into a cave, and upwards to where the water began to shimmer.

She almost cried with relief. _An air pocket!_

Videl banged her head on the roof of said air pocket. It was only big enough for the duo's heads to break from the water.

Gohan coughed before taking Videl's head in his hands to check for a bump. "Are you alright?"

Videl breathed hard as she wiped some water from her nose. "Well... I didn't drown, so I guess we're dandy."

Gohan patted the top of her head a bit before looking back down into the depths of the water. "Get ready." He sank back down and Videl quickly took another breath before going after him.

They swam out of the cave towards a giant sledge. On it was the mural Gohan had spoken of; the section closest to them was of a giant star, golden and pointed. Around it was a circle of writing, which Videl got closer to. Gohan brought his crystal closer to the mural so Videl could see better, and Videl gave him a nod of gratitude. His own language looked like gibberish to the Saiyan, but Videl's eyes widened at what she read. She pointed towards the cave and they went back to the air pocket.

"It's the history of Vegetasei!" Videl gasped when they got there. "It's everything there is to know about your home! How it was settled, and so much more!" She was like a kid at Christmas.

Gohan furrowed his eyebrows. "The star that I saw. What does the mural say about _that_?"

Videl shook her head. "I don't know yet. But I think we're about to find out."

Back down they went. The next section of the mural was of giant statues standing next to one another, as if they were guarding their beloved city. Videl pursed her lips. She hadn't seen any statues like this when they were coming in...

She floated over to an upper section, above the statues. It looked like they were worshiping a giant crystal. She grabbed Gohan's own crystal to steady it as she read.

Gohan saw a mix of emotions emerge on Videl's face as she translated. Confusion, realization, wonder... then discomfort. She made a break for the air pocket.

Videl wheezed loudly as she took a much-needed breath. "The star..." she began.

Gohan spat out some water. "Give yourself a moment."

"No! The star..." Videl took another breath. "It's the Heart of Vegetasei!"

Gohan cocked his head to the side. "Heart?"

"Yes! The power source I was looking for, the star you remember- they're the same thing! It's a giant crystal!" She splashed the water a bit as she grabbed Gohan's necklace again. "Like these!"

Gohan closed his eyes as he thought back. The star that had taken his father...

Videl motioned downward. "C'mon. I'll explain it better when we're not at risk of drowning."

* * *

Videl broke through the water alongside Gohan, falling onto the steps leading into the pool.

"I think that was enough of a workout..." Videl panted, " ...for the year."

Gohan let out a small laugh as he pulled himself up to a sit. "You did well."

Videl pushed her wet bangs out of her eyes. "Thanks. So... I think what the mural was saying was that the giant crystal is what's keeping you alive. Realistically, you all should have died down here a long time ago." Gohan nodded slowly as she spoke. "That explains how your necklace did what it did, healing me back at the crash site." She paused. "Thank you for that, by the way. I didn't... thanks."

Gohan let out a sigh. "I do not like seeing people hurt... nor do I like hurting others."

Videl raised an eyebrow. Where did _that_ come from? "Is that why you left last night? To let off some steam?"

Gohan brought up his knees, resting his elbows on them. "Yes. After my father... I was in a bad place. I blamed myself for what happened to him. I did some things I am not proud of. I am better now, but... I have problems controlling my anger."

Videl placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Gohan, if someone gets shot, you blame who pulled the trigger."

Gohan looked up in confusion. "Shot?"

Videl gave a slightly exasperated sigh. These cultural differences never got any easier. "I mean you didn't kill your father. There had to be some reason the crystal took him. I can try to help you find it... before I go home."

Gohan's eyes flicked over to the hand on his shoulder before meeting Videl's eyes. "...I will miss you, when you leave."

Videl chuckled. "Yeah. I wish I had more time to teach your people how to speak-" Videl stopped when she felt a hand cover her own.

"I will miss _you,_ " Gohan repeated.

Videl felt her face start to heat up. "Yeah... me, too."

Gohan searched her face for a moment before he seemed to settle on something. He slowly leaned forward, his hand moving to rest on Videl's neck. She gasped a little when she felt his lips brush her own. He paused, as if waiting for permission. Videl gladly gave it, moving to press her mouth against his. She put her hands on the side of his face, angling her head so their kiss aligned perfectly. Her eyes drifted close.

Videl was about to deepen the kiss further when Gohan broke away, breathing deeply. His face looked as red as hers felt.

"You okay?" she asked. He didn't seem to be displeased.

"No. Yes. I mean..." Gohan stuttered, then cleared his throat. "I very much enjoyed that."

Videl stared at him before poking his forehead. "You are way too cute, you know that?"

She felt a shudder come from Gohan, and he quickly untangled himself from her. "I will be right back," he said.

"Where-" Videl shielded herself from the ensuing splash as Gohan dove back into the water. _What was that..._

Videl felt her blush deepen in realization before she broke down into a fit of giggles. She fell onto her back and covered her eyes with her arms as she continued to laugh heartily. She felt like a teenager again.

Eventually Videl calmed herself, and as she removed her arms to wipe the tears of mirth from her eyes, she noticed something- or someone- behind her.

Videl shot up, twisting around to see Freeza... and every one of his men behind him, armed to the teeth.

"Are you having a good morning?" He gestured towards the light coming from the sky (or what passed for a sky in Vegetasei).

Videl blinked in confusion as she looked past her commanding officer. Her friends were among the other workers and soldiers. She wasn't surprised to see Launch toting a machine gun, but the others...

"Guys?" she said hesitantly. "What's... what are you doing with all those guns?"

Krillin looked away. Tien, the only one not packing heat, tossed Videl her boots and bag.

"Guys?" Videl's eyes widened in understanding when she saw the smirk on Freeza's face. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Videl-" Yamcha started.

" _You have got to be kidding me!_ " Videl yelled. She turned on Freeza. "Is this all it was?! Another big _treasure hunt_?!"

The commander gave a nonchalant shrug. "We would have told you sooner, but frankly, you seemed a bit too... enthusiastic to really be trusted with this." He held out his hand. "Unless, of course, I'm wrong."

Videl took a step back. "I'm not some money-grubbing traitor."

Freeza barked out a cruel laugh. " _Traitor_? This was the plan all along. You're the one not going along with it; if anything, _you_ are the traitor."

Videl set her jaw. "You're after the crystal."

Freeza took out a piece of paper from his pocket, depicting a large crystal shining in the middle of the city. "You're referring to this?"

Videl gasped. "The missing page! You knew about the Heart of Vegetasei all along!"

Freeza tucked the page back into his pocket as he looked over his shoulder at his men. "Well, to be fair, we were all just going off of a picture."

The water behind Videl bubbled up as Gohan surfaced.

Videl whipped around. "Gohan, run-!" Videl faltered as she saw one of Freeza's men beat her to it, grabbing a surprised Gohan by the hair to drag him out of the water.

Gohan planted his foot on the ground before grasping the hand in his hair and and sharply pulling on it. A sickening _crack!_ sounded and the henchman reeled back in pain before Gohan delivered a roundhouse kick to the man's head. Videl tried to run to the Saiyan's aid, but other soldiers trained their guns on her.

Gohan slammed another lackey's gun into his face, sending blood flying from their nose, and he threw them into a few more of their comrades. He produced a knife that had been strapped to his back and sliced at an opponent's leg.

Videl watched as Gohan easily took down each of his attackers. As each moment passed, the look on his face became more frenzied, like an animal losing control.

 _Gohan is just scary when he's mad._

Goten's words seemed to click now.

A few men tried rushing Gohan all at once, but he elbowed one in the face, sweep-kicked another, and wrapped his legs around those of the last, making them slam into the ground. He readied his knife, as if to go for the kill, when it was shot out of his hand.

He whirled around, as if coming out of a haze. Freeza's gun was now trained on Videl.

"I strongly suggest you cease this stupidity." He pressed the barrel against Videl's temple. " _Now._ "

Gohan gritted his teeth. He allowed himself to be dragged away from his would-be victim, but not before landing a final kick to their stomach. Tien quickly went to look over the wounded, and the soldiers pushed Gohan into the ground, pinning his arms behind him.

Freeza put his gun away before turning back to Videl. "Quite the man you have there."

Videl was beginning to panic. "Freeza, you don't understand what you're dealing with here. I thought the Heart was some kind of battery, you think it's some kind of diamond, but we're both wrong! It's the Saiyans' life force! It's what's keeping them alive down here! If you take it, they'll all die!"

"Not _all_ of them," a gruff voice spoke up. From behind the men, a long-haired man emerged.

" _Raditz!_ " Gohan thrashed from under his hold.

Raditz sneered as he walked over to his nephew- and promptly delivered a kick to his face.

"Hey!" Videl was pulled back by Freeza, who put an arm around her shoulders as Gohan spat out blood.

" _Tha se skotóso_ ," Gohan hissed. **[I am going to kill you.]**

"I would like to see you try," Raditz echoed Gohan's earlier words.

"Now," Freeza continued. "I understand your hesitation, Ms. Satan, but look at it this way: if explorers had left every artifact they'd found alone, then every museum in the world would be empty. We are merely... giving back to the archaeological community." He took out the page again. "But we can't do that without a linguist."

Videl smacked Freeza's arm off of her. "Save it," she ground out. "I. Am. Not. _Interested._ "

Freeza sighed. "Piccolo was an idealist, too, Ms. Satan, and look where it got him. Do the smart thing here."

"Videl," she heard Launch mutter. "C'mon."

Videl crossed her arms, holding her ground.

"Well, now I just feel silly for trying to negotiate." Freeza snapped his fingers, and about 10 rifles aimed themselves at Gohan's head.

Videl froze in horror as Freeza held up the page to her. "Let's try this again, shall we?"

* * *

An explosion shook the throne room, a hole revealing itself in the wall. There stood Freeza's group, with Yamcha in front as he tossed a stick of dynamite up and down. "Knock-knock."

"Room service!" Yajirobe began aiming his gun at anything that moved.

Vegeta sprang up from where he had been sitting at the throne, his guards ready to retaliate.

"Tell them to stand down, _your Highness_." Raditz had his knife at Gohan's throat, his tone filled with contempt.

Gohan struggled. "Do _not_ listen to them, Vegeta!"

The king scowled at what he saw. "What was it you said, Gohan? They could _help_ us?" Vegeta descended the steps and grabbed one of the guards' spears. "Give me a reason not to slay each and every one of you."

"I am _not_ affiliated with them!" Videl shouted indignantly.

Raditz growled. He turned towards one of the doors to the room. "Bring them out!"

"Vegeta!"

The king instinctively spun around to see his wife and son being pushed at gunpoint into the room. Bulma pressed Trunks into her side protectively. "Get away from us!" she demanded.

Videl saw a flash of fear on Vegeta's face before it hardened into pure hatred. He slowly faced Freeza, before addressing his guards. " _Ópla káto._ "

One by one, spears dropped onto the floor. Freeza's men pushed past the guards and began ransacking the throne room.

"Search everything!" Freeza ordered. He looked at Videl. "You aren't convincing me that you're very useful here, Ms. Satan. What else is there?"

Videl ran a hand through her hair, frustrated. "There _isn't_ anything else!" She waved the Shepherd's Journal in the commander's face. "All it says is that 'the Heart of Vegetasei lies in the eyes of her King.' That's it!"

Freeza smirked. "Then maybe our friend _the king_ can answer our question." He regarded Vegeta, who was still looking at his family. "Help us out here, your Highness. You don't want your precious wife and child hurt, do you?"

Faster than Videl could comprehend, Vegeta had Freeza's collar in a death grip. "You will _destroy yourselves_. And I will enjoy watching it, you miserable piece of-"

 _BANG!_

Videl watched in disbelief as the king choked on his words. With wide eyes, his grip on Freeza loosened to clutch at his own chest, blood seeping through his fingers.

Krillin looked up from where he'd been searching and his pupils became like pinpricks. "Oh, God..."

" _PAPA!_ " Trunks screamed.

"VEGETA!" Bulma struggled against the soldiers.

Freeza blew smoke from the barrel of his gun. "To answer your question from before," he said as he walked over to the throne and took a seat. "I _do_ consider you an obstacle."

Tien ran over to Vegeta, who looked like he was in unbelievable pain but, amazingly, hadn't fallen over. The doctor steadied the king, despite the latter's attempts to shrug him off. "Freeza, this was _not_ part of the plan." He began digging around in his medical bag.

"No, just genocide, right? Videl asked bitterly.

Tien's lips tightened into a line, but he didn't cease his work.

Freeza looked quite comfortable on the throne. "I should get myself one of these," he murmured. He then reloaded his gun. "Now, you all know how I hate when negotiations go sour, so I'll make this simple." He motioned for some lackeys to grab Vegeta from Tien, who shouted in protest. "Quiet, doctor. Now, I'm going to count to ten," he began.

Vegeta's eyes were glazed over and he coughed out some blood. It sounded like he was having trouble breathing.

"If you don't tell me where the crystal chamber is by ten, not only do _you_ get a bullet in the head, but so does that little boy and pretty wife of yours."

Those that Videl had befriended all looked up in shock at this declaration.

"One..." Freeza cocked the gun. "Two... nine... te..." He stopped.

Vegeta's head had lolled over to face a pattern of rocks in a nearby pool. They were aligned in the same 'V' pattern as the symbol on the Shepherd's Journal.

Freeza stared in realization. "That's it," he whispered. He jumped up from the throne, dashing towards the rocks. "You're smarter than I thought, dear majesty!"

The men dropped Vegeta onto the ground, leaving him heaving in pain. Tien shoved them out of the way, taking out his supplies. Other soldiers went to surround the pool, guarding it, as Freeza dragged Videl into the water.

Raditz hauled Gohan over to the pool. "We are coming with," he announced. "I want to see what trapped us in this godforsaken place."

Gohan glared at the knife at his throat. "This seems a bit unnecessary now, does it not?"

Freeza rolled his eyes. "You can release him, Raditz. Something tells me he'll be compliant."

Raditz pushed Gohan over by Videl, who examined his face. There was still some dried blood from before.

"You brought a knife to a gun fight," Freeza remarked. "Get a gun, will you?"

Raditz produced a flare gun from his belt. "Is this one? I got it off the weakling earlier."

Freeza bit back a laugh. "Sure. Just make sure you point it at the person you want to _shoot_."

The commander stepped onto the stones, and sure enough, they began to rumble with movement, sinking into the ground.

"Get on," Freeza commanded.

Videl gulped. _Well, we wanted to find the Heart of Vegetasei,_ she thought. _I can only hope that we don't end up killing it..._

* * *

 **GASP! VEGETA! NOOOO!**

 **WILL HE DIE? CAN VIDEL SAVE VEGETASEI? ARE ALL OF HER FRIENDS TOTAL A-HOLES?**

 **FIND OUT NEXT TIME (MAYBE) ON VEGETASEI: THE LAST EMPIRE!**

 **Also, kissing scenes are haaaardddd. I kept it short since the two met not too long ago after all.**


	8. The Heart of Vegetasei

**I've been dreading and anticipating this chapter for different reasons- but I hope you guys like it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Atlantis. They belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The Heart of Vegetasei**

Videl's grip on Gohan's arm tightened as the platform lowered into a dark cavern below. Falling from their current height wasn't something she wanted to do.

Light shone down on the group as they continued their descent. Below them was a plot of land near a large pool of water. Above it, strangely enough, were giant rocks, hovering in a circle about 200 feet away.

Videl squinted. The rocks looked like they had glowing etchings in them, resembling faces. Each one also had a carving of a crown on them.

 _Speaking of which..._ Videl thought. She glanced at Gohan, who was also studying the carvings. "Will Vegeta be okay? I mean, he can use his crystal to heal himself, right?"

Gohan didn't look at her, but whispered back, "That depends on whether or not this _bastardos's_ men above let him do so."

One look at the smirk on Freeza's face made Videl nervous for the king.

Once they reached the ground, Raditz roughly shoved the duo off the platform to follow the commander towards the edge of the water. Upon closer examination, a bright light could be seen pulsing from the center of the rock formation.

The Heart of Vegetasei.

Freeza's smirk became a full-blown grin. "Oh, _yes_ ," he murmured.

Gohan shaded his eyes with his hand as he analyzed the markings on the rocks. Videl saw a glint of recognition in them, and his hand fell in shock.

"The kings of our past..." His voice was full of regret.

The young Saiyan immediately dropped to his knees and pressed his head onto the ground. Videl stepped back in surprise when she heard him muttering prayers in his language. She couldn't make out what he was saying, but could figure out that they were on sacred Saiyan ground.

She turned away respectfully to give Gohan a moment, only to see Freeza and Raditz glaring at him with annoyance.

"Tell your savage boyfriend to wrap it up, will you?" Freeza turned back to the pool. "We _are_ on a schedule."

Videl ground her teeth to keep herself from punching the short man right into the water. She growled at Raditz, "What, you're not going to show your respect?"

The older Saiyan seemed to be focused on one rock in particular, depicting a face that bore a resemblance to him. "...I never had reason to respect those of the past."

Videl bit her tongue at the obvious burning question, and kneeled down next to Gohan. Now closer, she could hear him saying one phrase over and over again. " _Lypámai. Se parakaló synchóresé me_."

 _I am sorry. Please forgive me._

Videl felt her heart break for him. She gently placed her hands on his shoulders, instantly causing Gohan to snap his head up. His eyes were red, a look of absolute grief on his face. Videl brushed some hair out of his eyes. "I'm sorry, Gohan. This is all my fault."

Gohan managed to calm his trembling body, slowly rising with Videl. "Blame who pulls the trigger, yes?" His gaze fell on Freeza, who was observing the pool. The commander scratched his chin with contemplation, then proceeded to kick a rock into the water.

The Heart began to pulse more erratically, and the shining blue light flashed into an angry red, as if it knew that its sanctuary had been intruded upon.

Raditz crossed his arms, unaffected by the sudden change in mood. "Perhaps we could go a bit faster? I want to be out of here, _now_."

"Alright, Ms. Satan, you're up," Freeza ordered. "What do we do now?"

Videl blinked herself out of a stupor. "Whuzzat?"

"How do we get it down?"

"Get it down?" Videl felt a blood vessel burst. " _Get it down?!_ How the hell should I know?! I'm still trying to figure out how a _big glowing rock_ is _floating_ above us in the first place!"

"You focus too much on trivial details, Ms. Satan," Freeza scoffed.

"Will you _stop_ calling me that?! You threatened to kill me earlier!"

Raditz rolled his eyes as he spun the flare gun around his finger.

As the argument went down, Gohan had started looking around the cavern, trying to see if there was a sharp rock or something that he could use as a weapon. Suddenly, one of the flashing red lights fell on Gohan like a spotlight. He watched in wonder as his crystal floated up, the red fading into a soft gold... warm and welcoming.

" _Patéra,_ " was all he could whisper before his eyes glowed a familiar bluish-green.

"If we don't have that diamond on the ground in ten seconds-!" Freeza cut himself off as Gohan walked past him, staring intently at the Heart. He became puzzled at the sight of the boy's eyes and crystal. He regarded Videl. "What is _this_?"

Videl started forward to grab Gohan, but was held back by Raditz, who looked just as interested. "I-I'm not sure." She flipped the Shepherd's Journal open. "All the book says is that the crystal is alive somehow."

Raditz nodded. "I remember _that_. We considered this thing our deity before it disappeared."

"Deity, power source," Videl agreed. She watched as Gohan paused at the edge of the water.

"A _rock_ is their god." Freeza deadpanned.

"No! I mean... they're a part of it, it's a part of them!" Her fingers gripped the book tightly. "I'm doing the best I can here, okay! I'm translating a damned _dead_ language here!"

Freeza's hand grasped his gun. "Try harder, then!"

"Hey, here's an idea!" Videl was losing her temper. "How about _you_ translate the chicken scratch, and _I'll_ wave the gun around?!"

" _Videl Satan."_

Once again, the arguing was interrupted by Gohan- at least, they thought it was Gohan. His voice sounded like it was layered, like multiple people were speaking in unison with him. He turned, fixing his glowing eyes on Videl. " _Mi fovásai. Óla tha páne kalá._ "

Videl felt relieved that Gohan seemed to be alright. Freeza frowned. "What did he say?"

Videl looked away. Raditz snickered.

"I hate both of you," Freeza replied.

Gohan turned back towards the water, and stepped forward. He didn't fall into the pool; instead he sauntered forward, walking on the underground lake as if it were solid ground. His stride didn't let up, but it was amazingly calm. Gohan remained in the trance, staring at the Heart as he trekked across the water.

Videl's stomach twisted once Gohan neared the giant crystal. While he walked, the golden lights had begun to wave wildly around the cave, as if trying to lock onto something.

Gohan reached the center of the pool, standing directly beneath the crystal. All at once, the lights focused in on him, thinning out until it was a single pillar of light. His amulet flashed, and the Saiyan's hair and clothing began to sway and flow around him. Gravity seemed to turn off in that one spot as Gohan began to float up, listless, towards the Heart.

Videl covered her mouth with a shaking hand as she watched Gohan get absorbed into the Heart. As soon as she could no longer see him, the rocks surrounding the crystal began to spin- slowly, at first, then getting faster and faster.

Raditz's long hair whipped around as the spinning caused a harsh wind around the group. Videl guarded her eyes from the sting with her arms, but Freeza kept an eye on the rocks, an almost hungry look on his face.

The rocks spun faster and faster until... they suddenly stopped, following a piercing blaze of light. This time, everyone averted their eyes.

Once the spots cleared from their vision, they could see standing in the middle of the pool was Gohan... yet at the same time not. It was like his body was carved out of the crystal, as if they had merged somehow; his hard skin glowed a faint gold color. His eyes snapped open, the solid bluish-green a stark contrast against the gold.

"Gohan," Videl stammered. He didn't answer. She wondered if he could even hear her.

Gohan walked forward mechanically, the rocks from above crashing down into the water, narrowly missing him- whatever had been holding them up there was gone.

Gohan stepped onto the plot of land, moving past the trio. Freeza reached out to the Saiyan.

"No, don't!" Videl's warning caused the commander the cease his advance. "Don't touch him." She moved out of the glowing figure's way as he continued his seemingly endless journey. She took hold of her shaking hand, holding it to her chest. "Don't touch him."

* * *

To be fair, they hadn't touched him.

As soon as the light show ended, Raditz and Freeza managed to nudge Gohan onto the platform with Raditz's spear. Once there, he seemed compliant, staying still as they went up, and allowing himself to be led outside the palace and into some sort of containment unit.

Videl followed somberly, seeing that no, Freeza's lackeys hadn't allowed Vegeta to heal himself, likely to keep him in check and as another hostage. They did allow Tien to work on him, though, not that it helped much. He was unconscious and there was blood everywhere. Once the crystal was outside, the guards left to help their commanding officer. Now free, Bulma and Trunks ran over to the king, whom the doctor relentlessly worked on.

Videl averted her eyes at the sight of Bulma holding Vegeta's face in her hands and Trunks's tears. The guilt piled on her with each passing second.

None of the Saiyans outside moved to try and stop the soldiers. They still had the firepower, and now they had their source of power. It was a hopeless situation.

Videl watched as the door shut on Gohan's would-be cage. His eyes closed, and the window fogged up, but she could still make out a light.

Krillin knelt on top of the box, wrenching a bolt into place. His hat shadowed over his eyes, and he wouldn't meet Videl's angry glare. The linguist was then pushed back by the other guards, who warned her to stay back. She walked backwards, closer to the Saiyan civilians than her own group.

She heard Launch's voice behind her. "Where's Tien?" The blonde was nervously tapping her side as she questioned her commander.

Freeza popped a few bullets into his own weapon. "He said he wasn't going to 'leave a job unfinished.'" He walked past the geologist to observe the box being hauled into a truck. "It seems he's choosing to stay, along with Ms. Satan."

Launch's eyes widened, and she gripped the barrel of her gun.

Videl considered the woman beside her. "So, this is why you were careful about sneezing earlier, right?" Launch looked up reluctantly. "Blue Launch would never have agreed to this."

Launch bit her lip- unusual for her. She stalked past Videl to stand near Yamcha by one of the trucks.

Videl twisted the strap of her bag around her hand. "This is how it ends?" she murmured. Some of the workers stopped performing their duties to listen to the linguist. "After all this... you know what, I get it. Fine. You win. I mean, you're wiping out a whole civilization, but who cares? You'll all be rich."

She looked at Krillin as he stood by an open truck door. "I'm happy for you, Krillin. You'll be able to help your daughter. She'll want to hear all about the great adventure her dad went on."

The noseless man hunched his shoulders as he stepped into the truck, slamming his door.

Videl crossed her arms as she turned on Yamcha. "And Yamcha! You'll be able to pay back your town. I'm sure your cat will be very proud."

The demolitions expert finished tying down Gohan's box, glancing over his shoulder.

Videl could see Yajirobe and Roshi listening to her from another truck as she spoke. "You're all getting what you want. It's the perfect ending to your story, and you can tell it whatever way you like." Her hand fell back to her side. "As long as you guys get your money."

"You may want to clot that bleeding heart of yours, Ms. Satan," Freeza sneered as he exited his vehicle. "These people should have died a long time ago. We're simply allowing nature to take its course."

Raditz called out from behind the box. "We are ready to go!"

Freeza stopped in front of Videl. "Yes, yes, one moment." He cocked his head, thinking. "Let's see... I have the diamond, the trucks... what am I missing?"

"Basic human decency?" Videl spat.

"Oh, now I remember." Freeza's hand shot out, backhanding Videl faster than she could react to. Gasps resounded from the crowd- and her former friends.

As she had noted before, the commander was stronger than he looked, causing her to actually fly back a few feet. Items sprawled out of her bag, including the photo of her and Piccolo. She landed with a thud, blood filling her mouth, her cheek stinging. She coughed, then instinctively reached for her picture frame- only for Freeza to bring his foot down on it, cracking the glass.

"Think of it this way, _Satan_ ," Freeza's tone was full of malice. "You wanted to be the woman who found Vegetasei. Now... you'll be a part of the exhibit." With that, the commander turned his back on Videl.

Videl slowly wiped the blood from her chin. He was right; she'd found Vegetasei. And it was because of her that it was to be lost.

She leaned over, picked the photograph from its broken frame, and stared at her late mentor.

She was a failure. She'd killed the city that Mr. Piccolo spent his life on. With that thought, the hot tears blurred Videl's vision, spilling down her face. She shut her eyes, pressing the heel of her hand onto her forehead.

Some distance away from Videl's breakdown, Krillin had opened his side-door. He watched the tears streaming down Videl's cheeks.

"Get us out of here," Freeza instructed as he passed the mechanic.

Krillin got back into his seat, but his gaze still lingered on Videl.

"That was an order, not a suggestion!" Freeza barked.

Krillin slammed his door closed and wrapped his fingers around the steering wheel. But still, he made no move to leave.

He leaned forward to rest his forehead on the wheel. His teeth clenched; he hit the dashboard once... twice.

"I'm sorry, Marron," he whispered. He swiveled in his seat and kicked the door open, startling the other workers around him. Krillin jumped to the ground and strode over to where Videl still sat, not looking up.

The small man knelt by her, and she stiffened when he cupped her face in his hands. She met his gaze, surprise filling her features.

Krillin wiped her tears away. "I'm so sorry," he spoke softly.

Videl searched Krillin's face; she saw no greed, no ulterior motive. She allowed him to help her stand.

Krillin adjusted his hat, then turned to glare at the rest of the group. Yamcha and Launch were by the cargo trucks, Yajirobe and Roshi sitting in them.

Yamcha furrowed his brow, his mouth becoming a line. He turned, shot the other soldiers a rude gesture, then jogged over to Videl and Krillin. He stood behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders in a protective stance.

Launch placed her hand on the drill, patting it. "You dumbasses," she groaned. She grabbed Yajirobe from his seat and dragged him over to the others. Surprisingly, the cook didn't object against being manhandled.

Roshi took a big puff from his cigarette, then breathed out. "...Eh, I don't got much longer to live anyway." He put his sunglasses on and joined the rest of the friends.

"I am not sure whether to laugh or be annoyed by this camaraderie," Raditz piped up from the cargo.

"You're not all serious," Freeza laughed incredulously.

"This is wrong and you know it!" Krillin accused.

"We're _this_ close to our fortune, and you choose _now_ to grow a conscience?!"

"We've done a lot of things we're not proud of," Yamcha interjected. "Robbing graves, plundering tombs, double parking. But no one got hurt." He paused. "Well... maybe _somebody_ got hurt. But nobody we _knew_!"

"Poetry, Yammy." Launch slapped her forehead.

Freeza grit his teeth. "Cowards. Every single one of you. The Lieutenant was the same way." Freeza chuckled hatefully as he took over the cargo truck. "But I dealt with him the way I'll deal with all of you."

A sense of shock came upon the group.

"You said he was waiting for us," Yajirobe said.

"Oh, he is waiting for you," Raditz leaned on a railing. "In the lava moat."

Videl gasped. She may not have liked Zarbon very much, but...

"You _son of a bitch_!" Launch aimed her gun at the already moving trucks. She definitely would have shot at them had the exhaust not blown in her face, causing her to sneeze. "AAA-CHOO!" And so returned the peaceful Blue Launch, who took in her surroundings with awe and confusion.

Videl saw that as the crystal was taken out of Vegetasei, each and every Saiyan's crystal necklace stopped glowing. The people began to panic, talking over one another or running to find shelter in their homes.

Videl ran past Launch as the trucks crossed the bridge into the city. "We can't just let them take him!"

Yamcha followed after her and pulled her back before the could step onto the rickety structure. "Wait a second!"

The instant the trucks were off the bridge, explosions sounded, blowing the bridge to smithereens and causing debris to fly everywhere. Videl and Yamcha hit the dirt, covering their heads until the smoke cleared. Videl raised her head in despair as she watched their one route out of the city go up in flames.

She whirled on Yamcha. "Why didn't you mention _you'd rigged the freaking bridge?!_ "

Yamcha threw his arms up in the air. "Hey, I _just_ did my face-heel turn, okay?! I can't be expected to remember everything!"

Videl was about to yell at the former thief again, but was drowned out by a familiar voice. "Please! Is it true?! Did they take him?!"

Videl scrambled up and ran over to the crowd of depowered Saiyans- among them was a woman and her son.

"Chi-Chi," Videl called.

The mother spotted Videl and raced over to her. "Videl! Is Gohan-"

"Gone." Videl couldn't bring herself to watch Goten's face fall. "I didn't... I never meant to..."

Chi-Chi's hand flew to cover her mouth as she feel to her knees. She wailed with anguish, clutching her shoulders as Goten hugged her, crying silently into her hair.

Videl was about to make an attempt to comfort her when she heard her name being called from inside the palace.

"Videl! You need to get up here!"

* * *

Videl entered the throne room with trepidation. She wasn't sure if she was ready to face another crying mother and son.

Tough for Videl, because that's what she got. Tien had laid Vegeta on his throne, which was more like a bed anyway. The doctor was using his stethoscope to listen to his patient's heart with a grim expression.

Vegeta didn't look too good. He was deathly pale and and had bags under his eyes. Bandages were wrapped firmly around his torso, and he was propped up against a bunch of pillows- probably an attempt to still seem strong while so fragile. He was awake now, and looking at his queen as she spoke with him. Trunks was sat near his father, being careful not to touch his chest.

As the family conversed, Tien packed up his stethoscope and walked over by Videl.

"How is he?" she asked.

"Not good," Tien sighed as he rubbed his tear ducts. "Apparently different wounds require different amounts of time with a crystal to heal. They'd only just started using it when the necklaces stopped working." He watched as Vegeta lifted a shaking hand to Bulma's face, who leaned into his touch. "It was able to keep him from dying right away, but without the right supplies, it just prolonged the inevitable." His grip hardened on his bag. "Stupid, leaving my gear with Freeza."

"This isn't your fault," Videl affirmed. She saw Bulma lean down to press her lips gently against Vegeta's. "Not by a longshot."

"Hey." Videl looked down to see Trunks looking at her with a wilted expression. "Papa wants to talk to you." She swallowed, yet let the boy lead her to the king.

Vegeta regarded the linguist with a tired expression. "Seems some of you disobeyed my order to leave." He coughed weakly as Bulma sat back a bit to let the two talk.

Videl sat near Vegeta's legs. "It didn't seem right, to leave you all to die."

Vegeta's head lolled over. "I will commend your sense of honor, foolish as it is."

Videl twitched. She would _not_ yell at a dying man.

"Where is Gohan?" Bulma interjected.

Videl picked at some dirt on the throne. "He... the Heart..."

"I see." Vegeta let out a long breath through his nose. "That boy. Just like his father."

Videl raised an eyebrow. "His father?"

"The last king of Vegetasei."

A beat passed. Then Videl lost it.

"I _swear_ to _God_ , I don't understand _anything_ anymore!" She slammed her face into her bag while groaning in frustration. At least now a _few_ things made sense- why the carving looked like Raditz, why Gohan's grandfather was the one to almost kick Bulma out, et cetera.

" _You_ sought _us_ out... if I recall," Vegeta chuckled. "But yes, Kakarot- or Goku, as his _friends_ would call him," he gave Bulma a pointed look, which she returned with a smile, "was king before the city was lost."

Videl, who had regained her composure, replied, "I'm guessing you're not related, right? So, why are _you_ king, and not Gohan, or Raditz?"

"That was Goku," Bulma sighed. "He always said that if anything should happen to him before Gohan was of age, Vegeta would take over until the time came."

"And Raditz?"

"He's an idiot."

"Ah."

"I was initially the royal adviser to Kakarot," Vegeta coughed again. "It is my fault that we are down here." Videl listened carefully as the king spoke, stopping every once in a while to hack out some blood or get through a fit of pain. "In times of danger... the crystal will choose a host, one of royal blood... to protect itself. "

Videl frowned. "Why didn't it choose Raditz?" He had been in the cave too, after all.

"He's an idiot."

"Ah." Videl laced her fingers together. "So the crystal is alive?"

"In a way," Vegeta confirmed. "The crystal thrives on the collective emotions... of all who came before us. In return, it provides power... longevity, protection. As it grew... it developed a consciousness of its own." He set his jaw. "I believed that the Heart could be used as a weapon, and convinced Kakarot of such. But... the power was too great to control, and we caused our own destruction." Vegeta's eyes flicked down to watch as Trunks rested his head on his legs. "I still remember... holding Gohan back that day, watching as he _screamed_ for his father... I was such a fool."

 _So that's what the light was_ , Videl thought. She turned towards the pool of water from earlier. "... And hiding the crystal?"

"Chi-Chi wanted to protect her sons from suffering the same fate as Kakarot, and I... did not want to risk losing control again."

Videl suddenly felt sick. "And what happened to Goku? What will happen to Gohan?"

Vegeta grew tense. "If he stays bonded to the crystal... he will be lost." He hissed suddenly, gripping at his chest. He waved off Bulma's concern and grabbed Videl's shoulder. "I was going to hold on to this burden... keep it from Gohan for as long as I could. But I cannot... now." He pointed at Videl. "It falls to you."

Videl was confused. "Me?"

"I. Cannot. Fight," Vegeta ground out. "And from what I can tell, you have learned more about my city than most of my citizens. Lead them. Save Vegetasei." His eyelids stuttered to flutter. "Save... my family." His eyes fell closed.

Videl immediately shot forward to feel the king's pulse- just unconscious again.

Not that that made Videl feel any better.

Bulma pulled Vegeta's head to rest against her shoulder and she ran her fingers through his hair. Trunks crawled up to be with his mother.

Videl stood, numb. She walked out of the throne room, leaving the family alone in what could be their final hours together.

* * *

Videl sat on the palace steps, holding the Shepherd's Journal loosely in her fingers.

Tien came over to stand by her. "Well?"

"Well what?" Videl muttered.

"What are you going to do?" Tien said. "We all followed you in here, we'll follow you out. It's your decision."

"Oh, it's _my_ decision?" Videl snapped. She leaped to her feet. "Well, isn't that brilliant. I mean, we all know how great my decisions have turned out to be. Let's recap: I work at a museum for three years hoping to get funding for an expedition, only to be strung along and ultimately denied. I end up leading a group of thieves to what could be the greatest archaeological find in history, just to have them rob the city of its source of life and power.

"I enable a _sociopath_ to gain access to the most powerful force known to man, cause the kidnap and possible _murder of a duo royal family_ ," Videl threw the Shepherd's Journal to the ground in exasperation, "and let a good man be fused to a _hunk of rock_ just so he can be sold to the damn _Kaiser_! _HAVE I LEFT ANYTHING OUT?!_ "

Tien considered Videl's heavy breathing and rigid stance. "Well, you did cause the fire at the camp and dropped us down that gorge."

Videl threw her arms up in the air as she turned her back on the doctor. " _Thank you!_ I knew I was forgetting something!" She dropped back down onto the steps and hid her face in her knees.

Tien knelt down and picked up the Journal before going to sit by Videl. "Yeah, you did all that. Everything has become a huge mess."

"You would suck as a psychiatrist," Videl retorted in a muffled voice.

"But it's been my experience," Tien continued, "that when life knocks you down, the only thing you can do..." He opened the Journal to the photo shut inside it. "...is shove it right back."

Videl smirked sourly as she rubbed the space between her eyebrows. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Some crazy old guy named Piccolo Katas." Tien held out the photo to her between two fingers.

Videl's tone lost its edge. She gingerly took the picture from Tien and studied the image of her and her old guardian.

Piccolo was always pushed around for pursuing what he believed in. And he always tried to not let it get to him, even when it finally did.

 _You shove it right back._

He certainly wouldn't have approved of her giving up so quickly.

Videl took a deep breath, then cracked her neck. Tucking the photo in her pocket, she got to her feet and went down the stairs with Tien in tow towards the rest of her friends.

Blue Launch had her hands folded in front of her with apprehension. "Are you alright?" Apparently the others had filled her in on what was going on.

Videl sauntered past the group. "I'm fine," was her response.

"Where are you going?" Roshi called after her.

"I'm going after Freeza."

That got a good reaction from the group. They chased after her, despite her not slowing down as she took went down into the village square and began looking around, searching for something.

"Are you insane?!"

"You'll never catch up!"

"Bring some beans with you!"

Videl's gaze landed on what looked like a big rock with vines all over it. "I know it's stupid," she replied. She began pulling at the vines. "But I'm doing it anyway."

Everyone went quiet for a moment. Finally, Krillin heaved a big sigh. "Alright, let's do it."

Videl turned in bewilderment.

Launch clapped her hands. "Let's save the day!" She punched the air with vigor.

Roshi shrugged. "I did say I'd follow you anywhere. I meant that."

"I just wanna punch that bastard for killin' Girly-Locks," Yajirobe muttered.

Tien folded his arms. "We're in. All of us."

Yamcha scratched one of his scars. "Consider it a proper apology."

Videl felt herself grin as she pulled off the remaining vines. Before her sat an elongated rock carved to look like a fish.

"Find more of these and gather up any willing Saiyans. I've got a plan."

* * *

Chi-Chi handed Videl her crystal. "How are you going to do this?"

Videl slid the crystal into the slot. "Gohan showed me." She then addressed the crowd of Saiyan warriors behind her, male and female alike. Once they'd been informed that there was a way to get out of the city and get their crystal and comrade back, the troops were rallied. Weapons were gathered, other women and children provided any supplies necessary. Chi-Chi had instructed Goten to stay in the palace and keep Trunks company, then provided her crystal for Videl's demonstration.

"Everyone listen up! If we're doing this, we all have to work together!" She grabbed the crystal and acted as she instructed. "Half-turn right, quarter-turn back, keep your hand on the pad!"

At the sight of the vehicle glowing and levitating in the air, a feeling of determination came upon the rescue team. Nods and battle cries sounded as the Saiyans followed Videl's lead, even stopping to help the explorers start up their own vehicles.

Videl leaned down to hand Chi-Chi her necklace back, but the older woman refused. "Consider it incentive to come back."

Videl's hand faltered, but then she nodded. She adjusted her position on the fish and put the necklace on. "I'm going to save your son. I promise you that. It won't be like last time."

Chi-Chi nodded with a hopeful smile. "I believe you."

Videl sat up straight, then focused on the other vehicles lifting into the air along with her. "This is it, guys! We're going to save Vegetasei, or we're gonna die trying! Now let's do it!" Another rallying cry rang among the crowd, and they lifted higher into the sky, zooming off over the lava moat and into the cavern from which the explorers first came upon the city.

Ch-Chi watched as they sped along, then looked up to the heavens. "Goku... please... watch over them. Let our son come home." She then left to go wait for the team at the palace.

She met with Bulma at the entrance. "How are the boys?" the latter asked.

Chi-Chi frowned in confusion. "I thought they were with you."

Bulma shook her head. "I thought they were with you."

The two mothers stared at one another, then slowly turned to look at the crevice leading out of the city. They both gasped.

"THEY DIDN'T-?!"

* * *

 **I wanted to involve Goten and Trunks more, heheheh.**

 **I get that Vegeta seems a bit more affectionate in this, but keep in mind that this is a different Vegeta- therefore, he'll respond to things differently than his canon counterpart.**

 **Will the explorers save Gohan? Will Vegeta last until they get back? Will anyone else die? Stay tuned!**

 **Also, let me know if you guys seen a grammatical error or whatever in a PM. Thanks!**

 **Translation for Gohan :**

 **Do not be afraid. All will be well.**


	9. Try Not To Die

**~EDIT 5/25/17: For some reason, FF isn't letting followers know that a new chapter is out, and isn't even updating the date on the fic. I would check back here often for updates! I last updated this mid-May 2017!~**

 ***bows in sincere apology* I'm so sorry this took so long! College is such a pain!**

 **Didn't help that this is a tough chapter, and the next one is going to be a nightmare, I'm sure. But like I said, I shall not give up! Just procrastinate. A lot.**

 **Here we go!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Try Not To Die**

Raditz watched with intrigue as one of Freeza's men pulled on the cord of a cannon, sending an explosive up the tube of the dormant volcano. The smoky trail made its way up, up...

And exploded once it hit the top, caving in the one obstacle to the exit. While everyone was taking cover from the falling debris, Raditz saw Freeza grinning like a maniac the instant light was shining through the hole.

 _If the people on the surface are as strange as him, I will take my chances among the animals,_ he thought with disdain.

Freeza strode forward as the dust settled, and stood triumphantly under the light, exalting himself.

"I win."

* * *

Videl's fingers turned white as she gripped the edge of her vehicle, the wind whipping her short hair all about. It was as if she couldn't move fast enough.

The entire group made their way through the wide cavern, coming close to the volcanic tube they had originally fallen into.

"Hey kid!" Roshi called over. "Do you happen to have a plan?!"

"There's no way that they're expecting us!" Videl yelled back. "We're gonna go in low and fast, keeping those with weapons distracted while-"

"Videl, honey, Freeza is _never_ surprised, and there are way more guns than you think! We have to be more creative!" Krillin sped alongside her.

"Then what do you suggest?!" Videl shot back to the rest of the group.

"I say, 'try not to die!'" Yamcha said with determination.

There was a pause.

"Did anyone else feel weird about me saying that?!"

The question was left unanswered as the group flew around a ledge and saw what they were up against.

Inside the underground cavern was a giant red hot air balloon, shaped like a torpedo. Around it was Freeza's gang, toting large weapons ranging from assault rifles and machine guns to grenades.

Freeza was stabilizing a chain lifting the case with Gohan in it into the air; the sight made Videl's blood boil.

"There they are!" she yelled. "Give it everything you got!"

The mix of warriors and explorers gave out a rallying cry, which caught the attention of those on the ground. Raditz growled from his spot on the balloon, while Freeza grabbed a gun from one of the trucks.

"I swear that I will _kill_ each and _every one of you_!" He made a sort of signal to the rest of his men, and sure enough, all hell broke loose.

As quickly as the group had infiltrated the cavern, Freeza's men were on the offense. Small biplanes joined them in the air, shooting bullets at anyone who got too close to the balloon while the trucks on the ground had their own guns trained on those who got too low. It was a smart strategy to prevent the enemy from having a moment to recuperate.

Videl swore. "I thought you said he only had _guns_!" she yelled in Krillin's direction.

The man's stature was proving to be beneficial as he ducked and swerved around an attacking plane, ramming into it from the side. "I _said_ that Freeza is never surprised! Don't get sassy with me!"

Videl rubbed her hands over her face, deep in thought. "Okay. Okay! We-"

"Videl?" Blue Launch interrupted.

"What?!"

"I, um... I think we have some extra recruits here."

Videl's head snapped toward the geologist as one of the Saiyan warriors nearby exclaimed, "The young prince!"

Sure enough, Launch was holding both Trunks and Goten by their scruffs (which was pretty dangerous, considering they were flying).

"Boys!" Videl nearly screamed. "Are you _insane?!_ "

" _I want my brother back_!" Goten's voice was shrill as he thrashed about in Launch's grip. Trunks, on the other hand, just offered the linguist a sheepish shrug.

"I am going to kill you two!" Videl shrieked. "This is so dangerous!"

"I'll take them back-!" Launch was cut off by their exit being blocked by more henchmen, who proceeded to aim their huge guns at the trio.

Videl watched as the timid geologist tightened her hold on the boys, her mouth becoming a line.

"Launch-!" Videl was going to rush over, but the blunette held up a hand.

She swerved her vehicle to dodge some bullets and settled the boys in the seat behind her. "I'll keep them safe! Trust me!" She then took a fistful of her long hair and tickled her nose. " _AAH-CHOO!"_

The two boys' jaws dropped in disbelief as Blond Launch took in the scene around her, then let her gaze drop down to them.

"...Right, got it." She grabbed the machine gun strapped to her back, then shouted to Videl, "Go! I got this!"

Videl wanted to argue, but Blond Launch was either the best or worst person to be left with in a fight.

She could only hope it was the former.

Videl saw an explosion go off near Yamcha, who kept his balance by slamming his hand down on the panel of his vehicle.

Consequently, the panel lit up, sending a crackling charge of electricity out of the fish's mouth, towards the firing truck and blowing it up.

Yamcha watched the explosion with wide, awestruck eyes. "...Oh, what I could do with this thing and a load of dynamite." He grinned, then shouted to some of the other Saiyans to do the same towards the trucks.

Yajirobe and Roshi proceeded to lead the charge against the trucks on the ground- the former seeming a bit trigger-happy with the new weapon and the latter taking pictures with a camera as they flew around.

Videl sped by Yamcha. "Heads up! We can't let them reach the top of that shaft!"

The thief ducked under some stray bullets. "We can't get to him with these assholes on our tails!" He produced a concussion grenade from his bag, ripping out the pin and throwing it towards one the passing planes.

The ensuing explosion rocked Videl's vehicle a bit. "Where _the hell_ did you get that?!"

"I _may_ have been holding back a bit on the way here. I keep the good stuff for myself, don't judge me!" Yamcha sniffed.

"No, no this is good!" Videl did some quick thinking. "If we can take out the supporting balloons on the sides, they'll lose their altitude. It'll buy us some time!" She turned towards where the rest of her friends were firing back at Freeza's men. "Guys! I'm gonna act as a decoy! Yamcha, Launch, work together and take out the sides! Krillin and Tien, cut Gohan loose while they're distracted!"

"Yes!" Launch shouted with glee; Goten and Trunks flew the fish as she fired her gun at the men down below. " _Vive la résistance!_ "

Tien nodded. "Got it!"

"Alright, let's go!"

* * *

"I'll admit there is a certain charm to being back in a battle situation!" Freeza laughed somewhat maniacally from the gondola of the balloon. He aimed his large gun at the various Saiyans flying around below him. "A hunt always gets my blood pumping!"

Raditz just growled in response as he dodged a blast from Videl, who then flew out of the way of Freeza's bullet. "Is there any way to make this thing go faster?!"

Freeza quickly reloaded his weapon. "Feel free to unhitch our cargo! All we really need is your dear nephew." He looked down towards the metal box holding the man in question, only to see a familiar engineer and doctor hacking away at its chains.

" _I thought you said this thing could cut through a femur in 28 seconds!_ " Krillin shouted as sawed away furiously at the metal.

"Less talk, more saw!" Tien shouted back as he held the box steady for the small man perched on top of it.

Freeza grit his teeth in annoyance as he turned his gun on the duo, only for it to be knocked out of his hands by another bullet. "What-?!"

He looked up to see Launch, balanced on her fish and blowing the smoke from her sub machine gun. She then called out, "You ready, boys?!"

"Yeah!" rang out two young voices.

"You got it, babe!" Yamcha emerged from behind one of the side balloons, holding a detonator in his hands. At the same time, Goten and Trunks appeared from behind the other side balloon, hanging onto the ropes as they finished tying what looked like timed explosives on the chains holding all the balloons together.

Freeza paled slightly, and Launch simply grinned. "Go!"

Yamcha punched his switch as Goten and Trunks jumped from the balloon and into Launch's arms.

 _BOOM!_ The eruption broke the chains holding the balloons, simultaneously unlatching them and deflating them. Sure enough, the gondola rocked around dangerously, sending the commander crashing to the floor. The saboteurs flew down as the balloon began to careen downwards.

Raditz unlatched one of the oxygen tanks from the gondola, making it fall towards Krillin and Tien.

Tien saw this and quickly grabbed the engineer just as he was about to get through one of the chains. "Time's up!" They barely avoided getting hit by the tank.

Freeza shakily got to his feet. "We're losing altitude!" He looked over the railing- their attackers were definitely winning. Electricity flashed all over the place, and one by one Freeza's men went down.

The commander looked up at the burning balloon. "We're still too heavy," he muttered.

Raditz threw another box over the side and wiped some sweat from his brow. "That is all we can lose. Unless someone wants to jump," he reported sarcastically.

Freeza gave the Raditz's hulking form a once-over, then shrugged. "Agreed." He then proceeded to shoot out the rickety floor at the Saiyan's feet.

"AGH-!" The size of the ammunition took out a lot of where Raditz had been standing; the metal creaked under his weight, collapsing and making Raditz lose his balance. A hand desperately reached out as he fell, just barely managing to grab onto the split railing as Raditz swung above the battle going on hundreds of feet below him.

Raditz winced; his weight had surely caused his shoulder to dislocate as he held onto the sliver of metal. Freeza sauntered over to where the Saiyan was holding for dear life and frowned. " _Really?_ I didn't think you were that agile."

"You... have absolutely _no honor as a warrior_!" Raditz spat. He reached with his other arm to grab onto the gondola.

" _Me_?" Freeza laughed. He drew his pistol and fired, hitting Raditz's other shoulder. The Saiyan cried out in pain as Freeza stooped down to his level. "You murdered my helpless lieutenant, sold out your own people, and let your family be kidnapped by treasure hunters." His gaze became icy. "Honor was never a factor in this plan, and you were foolish to think you would survive this." Freeza's pistol came up again. "Just like the rest of your people."

Another shot rang out, and the bullet dug into the hand keeping Raditz alive.

" _FREEZA!_ " Raditz screamed as he went barreling towards the ground, his voice drowned out by the mayhem of the battle and the noise of the balloon's engine.

Freeza watched for a moment, then turned back to the dirigible's controls.

"Stupid ape."

* * *

Videl zoomed around the dirigible; they were losing altitude, yes, but with Freeza on the gondola, they could never get to Gohan.

She glanced below her; the wreckage from the explosions would make it hard for the others to make their way back up. So...

Videl grimaced, then hopped up onto the top of her fish. "Here we go," she murmured as she raced towards the gondola. "Piccolo... _Dad_... let's hope it's enough!" With that, she jumped from her vehicle, angling her body as she grabbed onto one of the loose ropes, swinging down and kicking Freeza in the face.

The two flew off the gondola and down to where the engine of the balloon rested. Videl's head snapped up to where her vehicle crashed into the chains attached to the box holding Gohan.

"I can't believe that worked!"

All the chains broke... except one.

"Shit, that didn't work!"

Freeza jumped to his feet. "You absolute _bitch!_ What does it take to _break_ you?!"

Videl quickly stood, getting into a fighting stance. "Excuse me for not being afraid of a money-grubber with a superiority complex."

Freeza looked incredulous. "Oh, you want to _fight_ me? The daughter of a washed-up boxer against a military man? That's almost adorable." He took out his gun and pointed it at the linguist. "Almost."

Videl felt an eye twitch. "I'm really getting sick of that thing. Too afraid to fight a _girl_ one-on-one?"

Freeza paused, then smirked. "You have tenacity, I'll give you that." He returned the gun to his holster and held up his fists. "I'll humor you. And once I get tired of that, not only will _you_ be dealt with, but so will _everyone_ you care about on the surface for my trouble."

Videl's face fell momentarily, then hardened. "... You're _short_."

The two ran at each other.

Then the balloon above them blew up.

* * *

Launch leaped off her fish vehicle and shot out the tires of one of the trucks firing at their Saiyan friends. She blew some hair out of her face, adjusting her leather cap. "You boys alright?"

Trunks ran to her side. "That was amazing! We destroyed that air device!"

Goten looked more apprehensive. "We could not get to Gohan! We have to help Videl!"

Launch squinted at the scene above her. Videl was circling around the balloon, then dive bombed towards it. "We can't get near it, kid. The fire is starting to spread, and I don't think we can get close to the box with Freeza and Raditz on the offensive-"

"Raditz isn't up there." Trunks's voice was very small.

"Eh?" Launch looked up to see Goten running towards a broken body near some rubble. She and Trunks followed suit, and watched as the young boy crouched by the fallen man.

"...Ah, dammit," the geologist cursed softly.

Raditz was sprawled on the ground, a pained expression on his bruised face. His arm and leg were bent at unnatural angles, and the bullet wounds didn't help at all.

Goten had a blank expression, as if he was unsure how to feel. "... I don't... I..."

The boy was cut off by the body taking a sudden and shaky breath, followed by a raspy cough.

"GAH!" Launch sprang backwards. "You- How the hell are you still _alive_?!"

Raditz didn't answer. His eyes were unfocused. "...Go... Gote-" Another cough erupted, each breath looking like it hurt more than the last.

Launch warily took a knee and rested a hand on Raditz's chest. "I wouldn't be surprised if ya broke every bone in your body. Don't think we can do much here."

Raditz's head tilted slightly towards her. "You are saying... you would..."

Launch snorted. " _I_ wouldn't, but a certain doctor would. Not that it would do much good."

Raditz's head fell back, and he chuckled weakly. "Then... you really are more honorable than I am."

Trunks frowned with disdain. "My father could be dead right now because of you. These people have more Saiyan pride than you ever will."

Raditz's arm slowly went for his belt. "Not... for certain..." A trembling hand produced a flare gun.

Launch's eyes lit up. "That was Zarbon's."

Raditz raised the flare gun towards the dirigible, but had trouble extending his arm. "I think... I hate that man more than I hate any of you." His voice was getting softer.

Tiny hands reached out and straightened the arm, making sure it was properly aligned with the balloon. " _Eínai entáxei,_ " Goten whispered. " _Xéro óti o patéras tha sas synchorísei_."

 _It is okay. I know father will forgive you._

Raditz's body tensed.

Launch scooped Trunks into one arm. "Be ready to run," she mumbled. The prince didn't argue.

Raditz closed his eyes. "I'm pointing the gun the right way this time, _bástardos_."

He pulled the trigger, and the last thing he saw was a streak of fire ascending towards the heavens, and a boy with his brother's face smiling down at him.

* * *

 **Kind of a short one, but I wanted to crank this one out!**

 **I wanted to apologize for taking ALMOST A YEAR to post this. School and personal stuff got in the way. Hopefully that kind of hiatus doesn't happen again!**

 **Goten has a good heart. He'll comfort a dying jerk-face.**


End file.
